The Ministry of Internal Affairs responded to a TV report by Nodar Meladze on Saturday on TV Pirveli. This report focused on the allegedly illegal practice of law enforcement agencies mixing tear gas and water when using water squirters to disrupt protests against Foreign Agents Law. The MIA admits this practice and claims that it is in line with the Law on Police.
The MIA cites Article 33, part 3 (c), which states: “Tear gas… is used to repel an assault on a person or a police officer as well as protected facilities” and “to stop mass and group violations.” It also cites Article 33, part 3(g), which states: “Water-cannons… are used to resist a group attack against the state and/or on public facilities.”
The law will determine the type of special weapons used by the police, and their intensity, based on the situation. The MIA emphasizes that neither the Law of Georgia “On Police”, nor any valid legal act based on it, prohibits the simultaneous use of water cannons or tear gas.
“We would like once again to emphasize that the Ministry of Internal Affairs employs special means for the management of violent demonstrations and rallies. These are in full compliance with European Standards and are actively utilized by the police forces of several European countries. The false information spread is intended to mislead the public and discredit the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” states the statement.
The Ministry claims that these practices are not prohibited in the handbooks and recommendations of “authoritative international organizations” such as OSCE/ODIHR or Amnesty International.
The MIA claims that Amnesty International permits the mixing of chemical irritants and/or marker dye. The actual document released by Amnesty International lists water cannons with “chemical irritants” (uncontrolled exposure increases health risks), or marker dye (risks of stigmatization or harassment, or arbitrary arrests of innocent people), or heated water (to cause pain) under the category “weapons that should be prohibited”.
The MIA mentions that the OSCE/ODIHR’s handbook allows mixing of tear gas and water in water cannons. This can be found in official documents from the organization. OSCE/ODIHR’s “Human Rights Handbook on Policing Assemblies”, clarifies that in some cases, tear gas can be mixed with water and discharged from water cannons. This can be found in the organization’s official documents.
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