After several live reports of police using water cannons on protesters outside the building of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has released a statement.
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia is an agency responsible for public safety and rule of law. Throughout the day, the Ministry ensured the protection of public safety and rule of law at the protest rally, as well as the freedom of expression of each person who did not overpass the limits envisaged by the law.
At the end of the day, during the protest rally in front of the Central Election Commission (CEC), protesters attempted to break into the Central Election Commission building, clearly depicted in the video footage, which was foiled by the police.
Owing to the fact that rally participants applied violent methods and ignored instructions of police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs applied proportional force within its jurisdiction defined by the law.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, as the agency responsible for maintaining rule of law, calls on all citizens, organizers and participants of the rally to adhere to the requirement of the law and follow the rightful demands of the police. During the rally, any violation of the law will be immediately foiled by the police, within the frames of the law," - reads the statement.
