Crossing the Line

Georgia's Violent Dispersal of Protestors and Raid on Imedi Television

Summary

Sequence of Events

Accountability for the Excessive Use of Force..

Methodology

Background

The Opposition Demonstrations

Georgian Media and Imedi Television..

The Coup d'Etat in Recent Georgian History

Relations between Russia and Georgia..

November 7, 2007

Widespread Use of Police Violence to Disperse Demonstrators

Dispersal of protestors and hunger strikers on the steps of Parliament

Violent dispersal of protestors on Rustaveli Avenue in front of Parliament

The violent dispersal of protestors on Rustaveli Avenue, from the Marriott Hotel to Republican Square..

The violent dispersal of protestors at Rike..

Assault and Kidnapping of Koba Davitashvili

The Special Operation to Close Imedi Television..

The Violent Dispersal of Imedi Journalists and Supporters Outside of Imedi Television

Injuries Sustained by Demonstrators and Law Enforcement Agents

Investigations into the Events of November 7

Aftermath

State of Emergency

The Alleged Coup Plot and the Alleged Role of Imedi Television..

Police Violence against Peaceful Protestors on November 8

International Reaction..

Announcement of Presidential Election..

Georgia's Legal Obligations

The Conduct of the Operations to Disperse Protestors

The Decision to Disperse the Protestors

Dispersals at 8:00 a.m. on Rustaveli Avenue and outside of the Imedi studios

Dispersals on Rustaveli Avenue and Rike..

The Raid on and Closure of Imedi Television..

Recommendations

To the Georgian Government

Regarding the dispersal of and attacks on protestors

Regarding freedom of the media..

To the United States and the European Union..

To the Council of Europe..

Acknowledgements100