The incidents of ill-treatment and use of excessive force by the police against citizens, journalists and politicians, reflected in video footage spread by public sources, are disturbing. Information is also being disseminated about a TV Pirveli cameraman being injured by the police. We also saw footage of police officers verbally abusing women, including female politicians, on live broadcasts.

The Public Defender condemns all types of unlawful actions by the police, especially cases of ill-treatment. The Public Defender will legally respond to each case.

The Public Defender calls on the Special Investigation Service to immediately launch an investigation into all the above-mentioned facts and prosecute the relevant persons. We also call on the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct an internal inspection into the cases of verbal abuse and unethical phrases used by police officers.

Public Defender's representatives will visit all the detained citizens, including politicians. Additional information will be provided to the public later.

In order to receive calls relating to human rights violations, the Public Defender's hotline - 1481 - operates 24 hours a day.