The Public Defender will further examine the legality of the police decision to dismantle tents in Namokhvani.

“A representative of the Ombudsman has been in the gorge all day long, including at the site where police dismantled protesters’ tents, and had direct communication with the parties. We will further examine the legality of the decision to dismantle tents.

In in order to avoid unjustified interference with the freedom of assembly, the Public Defender calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs: To immediately give the protesters an opportunity to continue their rally at the alternative place suggested by them and if there is a justified reason for refusing to do so, allocate the kind of alternative place close to the desired location, which will not make the rally pointless; to provide the public with detailed information on the reasons and duration of the road closure in the village of Namokhvani”, - reads the statement.