Children have rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, so Georgian authorities should respect the right of children to participate in opposition protests, the UN Children’s Fund in Georgia EU said in a statement on Saturday.
The UNICEF statement said Georgia has signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, recognised the rights of children to freedom of expression and freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The statement said:
“According to the Code of Children’s Rights of Georgia, all children have the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly (Article 17). We call on the authorities to ensure that these rights are respected.”
The statement also said UNICEF remains committed to working with the Georgian government, civil society and international organisations to “continue to support the protection and realisation of children’s rights.”
Earlier, Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili said that after students, it was the turn of schoolchildren to support opposition protests. She also declared herself the only legitimate ruler in the country.
On Saturday, police urged those gathered to leave the area before dispersing the rally. Special forces and special vehicles were brought onto the streets after protesters again threw fireworks at the parliament building, injuring one law enforcement officer.
Start of the protests
The unrest in Tbilisi began on November 28 and continues to this day. The reason for them was the decision of the Georgian government to suspend the process of negotiations on Georgia’s European integration due to blackmail from the EU.
On December 3, the country’s Constitutional Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili and 30 opposition representatives to declare the parliamentary elections unconstitutional. On December 4, police detained Aleko Elisashvili, leader of the Strong Georgia opposition coalition, and Zura Datunashvili, a member of the Akhali opposition party, during a rally.
In the last parliamentary elections held in autumn, Georgian Dream won with 54% (89 seats). The opposition called the results rigged and refused to take their seats in parliament. There are a total of 150 MPs in parliament and 76 votes are needed to win a majority.
