Law enforcement agencies should immediately stop “persecution and terrorizing” of political party activists and ordinary citizens participating in the recent anti-governmental demonstrations, Sozar Subari, the Public Defender, said in a statement on January 13.

The statement says that the Public Defender’s office has studied “numerous cases, involving facts of persecution” of these persons.

The authorities have denied the allegation. The Interior Ministry, however, has confirmed that investigation was on into cases of violent attacks on police officers during the November 7 unrests in Tbilisi. The ministry said on November 13 that it had arrested an activist of the Labor Party, who was among a group of protesters who were beating up a riot policemen in Tbilisi on November 7. The suspect was identified with the help of video footage, which was aired by the Rustavi 2 TV on November 7.

Sozar Subari, the Public Defender, also pointed out in his statement that he had “no hope” that cases of persecution of protesters would be investigated by the law enforcement agency and for this reason he was calling directly on President Saakashvili and Parliamentary Chairperson, Nino Burjanadze, to address the issues.