27 May 2011, 23:00
USA and EU justify dispersal of opposition rally in Georgia
The Ambassadors to Georgia of the United States and the European Union - John Bass and Philip Dimitrov, respectively, - believe that the crackdown at night on May 26 of the unsanctioned rally of the "People's Assembly" was carried out legally; however, riot policemen were applying disproportionate force to the situation.
"The authorities made an important by suggesting the protesters to move to an alternative place for expressing their protest," said John Bass, the US Ambassador to Georgia. Besides, as he noted, some demonstrators behaved not peacefully, but tended to "force confrontation."
Nevertheless, as the "News Georgia" reports, the US Ambassador urged the government to investigate the allegations that the police had used disproportionate force to disperse the rally. "I share the grief of the both casualties' families. This confirms once again that violence is a bad answer to the challenges that the society is facing," said John Bass.
The dispersal of the action "was carried out in an organized and lawful manner," said Philip Dimitrov, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Georgia. "Given the situation, it's very difficult to assess, whether there was an abuse of powers. Either way, we can state that the government was challenged. Unfortunately, as a result of dispersal of the rally there were casualties, which is very sad. I want to express my condolences to the bereaved families," said Dimitrov.
