Ombudsman: We call on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately provide information to each family member or lawyer about the whereabouts of the detainees, as well as to act in accordance with the law in the future

The Public Defender calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately provide information to each family member or lawyer about the whereabouts of the detainees.

The Public Defender has issued a statement on the arrest of 46 people, stating that the calls of family members and lawyers looking for the detainees have not stopped at the ombudsman's offices far.

The ombudsman calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to act in accordance with the law in the future and to inform the relevant persons about the detainees as soon as possible.

"It is known to the public that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has released information about the administrative arrest of 46 people during the protests today. The Public Defender's Office visited 23 detainees during the day.

The detainees pointed out that the detention was unfounded, but did not say anything about physical violence / excessive use of force by the police. Only one of the detainees had some injuries, of which the State Inspector's Service has already been informed.

Calls of family members and lawyers looking for the detainees have not stopped at the ombudsman's office so far. In some cases, unfortunately, the Public Defender's Office is not able to receive information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs in a timely manner.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, unfortunately, has continued the practice of non-compliance with human rights, according to which the family members and lawyers of the detainees are not informed on time or at all about the whereabouts of the detainees. Consequently, lawyers are unable to visit their clients in a timely manner, interview them, and agree on a defense strategy. Even when lawyers know the whereabouts of detainees, they encounter hours of obstruction in meeting detainees.

The Public Defender calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately provide information to each family member or lawyer about the whereabouts of the detainees and to enable lawyers to have an unhindered meeting with their clients. The Public Defender also calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to act in accordance with the law in the future and to inform the relevant persons about the detainees as soon as possible", - the statement reads.

Let us remind you that according to the information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the police detained a total of 46 people during the protest rallies in front of various administrative buildings in Tbilisi.