Gavrilov’s Night – landmark judgment finds Georgian protestors and journalists suffered ill treatment

Content warning: police violence; ill treatment resulting in serious injury. 

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has today found that Georgia violated the human rights of 26 protestors and journalists injured during the dispersal of a 2019 protest.

On 20 June 2019, Georgian police opened fire, without warning, on a crowd of around 15,000 people, who had spent several hours engaging in a largely peaceful protest against Russian influence. The sustained and indiscriminate use of tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets, the failure to comply with international guidance on the use of these ‘less-lethal weapons’, and the brutal beatings meted out by police and special forces over a period of more than six hours resulted in over 200 people being injured. ‘Gavrilov’s Night’, as it is known, is recognised by many in Georgia as the moment when the ruling party’s authoritarian ambitions became clear.

22 of the applicants in this case – 11 journalists and 11 protestors – were represented by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC). All were injured during the dispersal operation. Many are suffering ongoing trauma. Some are living with life-changing injuries, and a number have been unable to return to work.

In today’s judgment, the ECtHR found that 24 applicants had suffered ill treatment (a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)), either as a result of being struck with rubber bullets or being physically assaulted by police officers. Importantly, the Court set out standards for the regulatory framework governing the use of rubber bullets and found deficiencies in Georgia’s legislation and practices. The Court held that the domestic investigation into the applicants’ ill-treatment was ineffective, also in breach of Article 3. It additionally found a violation of the protestors’ freedom of assembly (Art.11, ECHR) and the journalists’ freedom of expression (Art.10, ECHR).

More than six years on, no-one who was in a position of power in 2019 has been held responsible for what happened. In the weeks that followed, the Georgian Dream government used the violence of 20-21 June to justify a renewed crackdown, including the arrests of at least two prominent opposition politicians. Three months later, Giorgi Gakharia, the Interior Minister with responsibility for the police operation, was promoted to Prime Minister. 

‘After six years of seeking justice, the victims finally found it at the Strasbourg Court. The experience of the heinous riot dispersal operation changed their lives forever. If the judgment is executed both in legislation and in practice, their courage in fighting for their human rights will help others enjoy freedom of expression and assembly without fear of losing their eyes — or worse.’  

Tamar Oniani, Human Rights Programme Director, GYLA 

‘Today’s judgment is a huge victory for the applicants, who have waited six years for justice. The Grand Chamber underlined key protections for protestors and journalists at a time when the right to protest and other democratic rights are under threat in Georgia. Significantly, it is the first international judgment setting out clear principles, applicable to all member states, guiding the use and regulation of kinetic impact projectiles, such as rubber bullets, in the policing of protests.’ 

Jessica Gavron, Co-Director, EHRAC. 

Although this judgment relates to events which took place six years ago, it is highly relevant to the situation in Georgia today, where fundamental democratic rights and freedoms are under increasing threat. Georgian police have continued to use tear gas, water cannon, pepper spray and physical violence against protestors and journalists. This week, the Georgian Government  introduced new restrictions on the right to peaceful protest. And as recently as 4 October this year, 11 journalists were injured while covering protests against the local elections. The chilling effect of violence against journalists is one of a number of factors threatening independent media in Georgia.  

Gavrilov’s Night 

On 20 June 2019, Sergei Gavrilov, a prominent Russian MP attending a conference for Orthodox lawmakers, was invited by government politicians to sit in the chair reserved for the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. Gavrilov addressed the assembled audience in Russian, a deeply provocative act given the history between the two nations. 

As news spread, a large group gathered outside Parliament to express their opposition. Around midnight, police opened fire on the largely peaceful crowd, with tear gas then rubber bullets and water cannon. No warning was given and police fired indiscriminately. Protestors and journalists were also punched, kicked and beaten by police and special forces. 

The dispersal operation lasted for almost seven hours. Police fired over 800 rounds of rubber bullets. 187 civilians and 38 journalists were recorded as having been hurt as the result of the police action. Some lost eyes, or their eyesight. Others suffered fractures to their faces as the result of rubber bullets. 

Three low-ranking police officers were charged for their part in the events of 20 June 2019, but criminal proceedings were then terminated as part of a Government amnesty. 

Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia split from Georgian Dream in 2021, and has since formed his own political party. On 12 November 2025, a week before the ECtHR announced the date on which it would deliver its judgment, Georgia’s Prosecutor General announced charges against Gakharia, now a political opponent living in exile, which relate to Gavrilov’s Night.