Georgian Dream again plans to adopt the Russian law, which will restrict free and critical opinions in Georgia. The adoption of the bill will block the path of the people of Georgia to the European Union.

The Democracy Research Institute echoes the attack of organized groups on the participants in the rally held on May 2, in the vicinity of Heroes' Square, and notes that the inaction of the law enforcement officers in relation to the violence was striking and calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure the safety of the protestors.

At around 01:20 am, in the vicinity of Heroes' Square, participants in the peaceful protest were suddenly attacked, without any provocation, by about 20 physically strong people dressed in plainclothes, who were moving around by several cars. The concerted action of the attackers supports the assumption that the offenders were members of a pre-organized violent group. According to the eyewitnesses and publicly available video footage, the attackers mercilessly beat the protestors in the face and different parts of the body. Children also witnessed the incident. The identity of the members of the organized violent group can be identified from the footage. The number plates of their vehicles are also clearly visible.

There was not a single patrol police crew at the scene of the violent attack. Law enforcement officers have not showed up at the crime scene even after the incident. Until now, the organized violence has not been assessed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Instrumentalization of organized violent groups and leaving protesters alone with aggressors is a practice established by the Georgian Dream authorities for years. While the main resource of the law enforcement officers is directed against the participants in the peaceful demonstration (attempting to break up the peaceful demonstration without legal grounds, using disproportionate force against peaceful protesters, arresting them administratively without appropriate legal grounds), the inaction of the police towards the violence committed by the organized group is striking.

The Democracy Research Institute calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to:

• to act in accordance with the law - to protect the safety of the demonstrators;
• to quickly and immediately launch an investigation into the assault that happened in the vicinity of the Heroes' Square;
• given the high public interest, to provide information to the public about the progress of the investigation.