ISFED responds to the amendments made to the Code of Administrative Offenses by the Parliament.

“The Parliament hastily approved amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia and tightened the measures of responsibility for the repeated commission of petty hooliganism and disobedience to the lawful request of the law enforcers.

These norms are often used as a repressive mechanism against participants in peaceful rallies and civil activists.

Without rational justification, the discussion of the bill was rushed, including at the night hours, during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on movement, which precluded broad public involvement and inclusion in the discussion of the issue.

Civil society has long been calling for a fundamental reform of the Code of Administrative Offenses, as the outdated Code, introduced by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR, fails to meet modern human rights standards”, - reads the statement of the organization.