Since November 28, Georgia’s non-governmental organizations’ hotline has received notifications about the detention of 10 women. According to the women, during their detention, special forces physically assaulted them, threatened them with rape, and even threatened their lives. This was stated by Nino Lomjaria, founder of the civil platform “Georgia’s European Orbit,” during a joint briefing with several NGOs, where they discussed violence and sexual threats against women detained during protests.
Lomjaria noted that in November and December, police detained and physically assaulted not only male protesters but also women.
“Since November 28, we have received notifications regarding the detention of 10 women through the hotlines of Georgian NGOs. However, unfortunately, due to the lack of official information, the exact number of women detained or harmed during the protests is unknown to us.
It is shocking that several women detained during the protests have publicly spoken about instances of physical violence, inhumane and degrading treatment, sexual harassment, and threats of rape by the police during and after their detention.
According to the women, during their detention, special forces physically assaulted them and threatened them with rape and murder. To make the threats of rape even more explicit, officers described the act using obscene language and threatened to take them to the detention vehicle, making their threats even more believable to the victims. A detained woman stated publicly that she was not allowed to sit on a seat in the detention vehicle and was forced to kneel during the entire journey, during which she was subjected to sexual harassment. Another detained woman publicly claimed that videos were taken of her at the police station, and she was humiliated with sexually suggestive comments. One protester, who showed visible physical injuries on her face, stated publicly that police officers took her away under the pretense of removing her from danger and then beat her.
It is unacceptable for state representatives to engage in actions that are degrading, violate dignity, or aim to harass individuals based on sexual or other characteristics. Torture, inhumane, or degrading treatment is prohibited under the Georgian Constitution and international human rights law and is punishable under criminal law.
If you have experienced any of the aforementioned acts, please inform your lawyer, who can address the relevant authorities. If you do not have a lawyer, you can contact Georgian non-governmental organizations. We will help you confidentially to present your interests in both local and international legal mechanisms and to access all necessary rehabilitation services.
We call on women who have been detained and taken to a temporary detention facility to know the following:
- Personal searches must be conducted by an individual of the same gender.
- Personal searches cannot be conducted in public view and can only be observed by someone of the same gender.
- You must be informed in advance if video surveillance is present.
- During personal searches, complete undressing is prohibited. Examination of specific body parts (e.g., for injury checks) should not occur within the view of surveillance cameras.
When taken to a temporary detention facility, women must:
- Be placed separately from men.
- Pregnant women must be housed separately from others.
- Women in custody must have access to hygiene products.
- Any detainee has the right to request:
- Contact with a lawyer.
- Contact with the Public Defender’s hotline (1481).
- Contact with the Special Investigation Service’s hotline (199). The detention facility administration must ensure the ability to make these calls,” Lomjaria stated.
