The November 7 violence exposed the Georgian government’s “shaky commitment to human rights and the rule of law” and it is high time for the west to confront Georgia over the issue, Human Rights Watch said on December 20.

The group has released a 102-page report, “Crossing the Line: Georgia’s Violent Dispersal of Protestors and Raid on Imedi Television,” which gives a comprehensive account of the Georgian government’s attacks on protestors and the raid on Imedi on November 7.

“Our research clearly shows that the Georgian government crossed the line when police chased and beat peaceful demonstrators, and threatened and intimidated journalists,” Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said. “The November 7 police operations were not legitimate means of policing. They have done serious damage to Georgia’s reputation as a champion of human rights.”

Human Rights Watch also pointed out that Georgia’s international partners, particularly the United States and the European Union, had provided unwavering support for President Saakashvili and his government and had been “reluctant to publicly criticize the Georgian government, giving credence to the government’s repeatedly stated good intentions and promises of reform.” 
 
“Even before November 7, there were serious signs that the Georgian government was actually undermining the rule of law and human rights principles it had espoused during the Rose Revolution,” Cartner said. “It’s high time for the US and EU to confront Georgia on its shaky human rights record and insist on accountability for the November 7 events.”

On December 19, the Brussels-based think-thank, International Crisis Group, also called on the west to apply “concerted pressure on Saakashvili and his administration to correct their increasingly authoritarian course.”