Police Face Fierce Resistance as They Evict a Family in Tbilisi
A dramatic eviction on Kekelidze Street in Tbilisi has turned into a tense standoff between authorities, the family being evicted and a group of protesters. Officers from the National Bureau of Enforcement arrived to carry out the eviction in the morning of January 23 but were met with fierce resistance from the apartment residents and supporters.
Following hours of resistance from a group of protesters and the former owner’s family, who had barricaded themselves inside the targeted apartment, the law enforcement officers have reportedly finally managed to start the eviction process.
According to some media reports, the authorities allegedly used tear gas inside the building against people who had gathered to oppose the eviction. The National Bureau of Enforcement denied this information. “On the contrary, in order to interrupt the process, the people who were inside the apartment probably used pepper spray against the [employees of the] Enforcement Police and Emergency Services, as a result of which several police officers received injuries”.
The eviction has drawn criticism from the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, who expressed her disapproval stating that “evicting people during winter and in snowy conditions, damaging their property, insulting their dignity, and promoting usurers are unacceptable.” She emphasized that such actions are against European values and pointed out that the eviction of people during winter is prohibited in all European countries.
This incident marks the fifth attempt by the police to evict the family since 2019, according to the Social Justice Center, a local NGO focusing on social issues. The organization revealed that the family is willing to settle the primary financial debt, but they are currently being denied the opportunity to do so.
“In a flawed monetary and credit policy, creditors primarily aim to gain possession of mortgaged property. Moneylenders exploit the poor socio-economic conditions of the borrowers, resulting in the signing of loan agreements with unfavorable terms and an elevated risk of losing their homes,” the NGO noted.
The Public Defender’s Office said it is trying to locate the detainees in order to see them and react accordingly. The Ombudsman’s Office says it will also investigate the legality of the police actions.
Later today, the Ministry of Interior confirmed that 18 people had been arrested under administrative charges for allegedly disobeying lawful police orders and disturbing public order.
The ministry argues that the protesters verbally and physically insulted the police and used “as yet unidentified special means, such as spray”.
The Ministry says it is investigating the charges against the protesters under Article 353 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provided for punishment for attacking a police officer, employee of the Special Penitentiary Service or other representative of authority or a public institution.
The MIA also alleges that the protesters damaged the car of the National Bureau of Enforcement. The case is being investigated under Article 187, Part 2, Subsection “c” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for punishment for damage or destruction in a group of another person’s property resulting in substantial damage. Two persons have been arrested on this charge.
According to Nona Kurdovanidze, Chairperson of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), lawyers from the GYLA are trying to meet with the detainees, some of whom are likely to be held in the police station on the Kakheti highway. According to the GYLA Chairperson, the MIA does not even confirm the location of the detainees.
Kurdovanidze calls on the MIA to disclose the location of the detainees to the lawyers and to allow their meeting.
This article was updated on 23/01/2024 at 16:48 to reflect the MIA’s statement and at 17:45 to add the GYLA chairperson’s statement.
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