**Police Violence Against Protester Under Investigation**
A watchdog group in Georgia is calling for a thorough investigation into allegations of police violence against a man who was arrested during a protest.
Anatoli Gigauri, a participant in the November 24 protest near the Georgian Parliament, was charged with assaulting a police officer. However, he claims that police officers were violent towards him during his arrest and detention.
The Rule of Law Centre says there are three reported episodes of alleged violence against Gigauri. These include a verbal insult and physical attack by a police officer, followed by a physical assault when he was stopped in his car with two others. He also claims to have been assaulted at the Ministry of Internal Affairs‘ main division.
The organization is urging the Prosecutor’s Office and the Special Investigation Service (SIS) to investigate these allegations quickly. They are calling for evidence such as video footage from police body cameras and surveillance cameras at the police stations where Gigauri was detained.
**Concerns About Unequal Treatment**
The Rule of Law Centre is also concerned that law enforcement agencies only react and provide information to the public when citizens allegedly violate the law, but not when they are victims of violence themselves. They want an equal treatment under the law, with investigations into police violence given the same urgency as those into alleged violations by protesters.
**Arrest and Detention**
Gigauri was arrested on November 25 and charged under Article 353 Prima of the Criminal Code of Georgia. Despite physical evidence of his injuries, he was placed in pretrial detention on November 26.