Parents of children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) have filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, citing “unlawful instructions” from the police. They state that these actions constitute criminal offenses, specifically:
- obstruction of the right to assembly and demonstration;
- discrimination;
- abuse of official authority.
Consequently, the parents are requesting the Prosecutor’s Office to respond to these police actions and ensure the protection of their rights.
The statement emphasizes that their protests are entirely peaceful and take place in an open public square, located 70–100 meters away from buildings and roads. Despite this, police are constantly mobilized at the site and have prohibited the use of tents, bean bags, and pillows.
“On April 27, we were also forbidden from bringing blankets; however, after parents began holding them individually, we were eventually allowed to bring them in. Staying outdoors 24 hours a day on backless wooden benches without these items poses a threat to our health. On April 27, one parent fell ill due to these conditions, and an ambulance had to be called,” the text reads.
The Prosecutor’s Office was also reminded of an incident on April 20, when children with Duchenne disease were barred from entering the reception area of the Administration of the Government of Georgia, preventing them from personally demanding answers to their appeals.
“The police instructions are completely unlawful. There are no grounds for banning these items from a public square. The actions of the police show signs of various crimes, such as obstruction of the right to assembly and demonstration (Article 161 of the UK [Ugolovny Kodeks — Criminal Code]), discrimination (Article 142 of the UK), and exceeding official authority (Article 333 of the UK). Based on the above, we ask you to respond to these police actions and ensure the protection of our rights,” the parents stated.