According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs neither the Law of Georgia on Police nor any valid legal act issued based on it prohibits the simultaneous or parallel use of water jets and tear gas.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs responded to an article published by a media outlet, which claimed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had used illegal special methods during the protests in connection with the adoption of a law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence”.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, “false media reports are intended to mislead the public and intentionally discredit the Ministry of Internal Affairs”.
“Due to the high public interest we would like to respond the information that was spread by one of media outlets which was related to illegal use of special methods by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the protests that were held this year in relation to the adoption of the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law.
We would like to inform the public that the information broadcasted by the TV company mentioned in the story as if the Ministry had violated the “Police Law” while using water cannons and tear gas simultaneously, is a falsehood and an attempt to intentionally mislead citizens.
According to Article 33, paragraph 3, “the use of tears gas is permitted to repel an assault on a person, police officer, and/or protected object, to avoid a mass and collective violation of law and orders.” The “water cannon vehicle” is used to prevent mass violations of law and order and to repel a group attack against a public or state object.
The intensity of the special means used by police is determined by the specific situation and the law. We emphasize that neither the Law of Georgia on Police nor any valid legal act issued based on it prohibits the simultaneous or parallel use of tear gas and water jets.
The recommendations of authoritative international organizations such as OSCE/ODIHR, and “Amnesty International“, guidance documents do NOT provide for this prohibition.
According to Amnesty International, it’s permissible for water cannons to be infused with chemicals and/or marker paint. The OSCE/ODIHR guidelines allow the addition of tear gas and the use of water cannons against people who are involved in violent acts. According to the same document the only purpose of using teargas should be to breakup the assembly. It should not be used at a location where people won’t be able to leave.
We would like to remind you that the Ministry of Internal Affairs uses special measures that are fully compliant with European standards, and are used by police units in a number of European nations.
The purpose of spreading false information is to mislead the public and discredit the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” said the statement.
Read More @ www.interpressnews.ge