Peaceful protesters detained during ongoing demonstrations in Georgia, beginning on November 28th, have been subjected to a series of violations, including the unlawful seizure and appropriation of their personal belongings.

According to numerous detainees represented by the Legal Aid Network of the Georgian CSOs their personal belongings, such as phones, headphones, laptops, bags, house and car keys, identification documents, wallets, and others, were confiscated during their detention. Some detainees reported that law enforcement officers demanded their phone passwords and resorted to violence when refused. In several instances, mobile phones were confiscated from detainees at police stations but were not returned upon their release. In some cases, special forces were involved in confiscating property, and documentation during transfers to police stations or temporary detention facilities did not reflect the detainees possessing any items.

It is noteworthy that, in most cases, the detainees' belongings were not confiscated in accordance with the law, but were instead illegally confiscated by individual law enforcement officers to appropriate them illegally or to throw them away as punishment to prevent their return. According to some of the victims, their personal belongings and phones were confiscated with threats to their lives and health, in some cases, victims were able to track the location of their phones, about which the Special Investigation Service has been informed, however, there has been no response from the agency until now.  For instance, one of the victim's phone was tracked to be in the city of Gori. In several cases, mobile phones were revealed to be on the premises of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Parliament, and other government buildings. An analysis of these incidents indicates that, in many cases, the confiscation of property was aimed at unlawful appropriation and had no connection to any legal procedure.

As a result, detainees have no information about when their confiscated belongings will be returned, and the whereabouts of certain items remain unknown. It is essential to conduct an objective investigation into individual cases with appropriate qualification and to punish those involved in the arbitrary and unlawful confiscation and appropriation of property.

STATEMENT OF THE LEGAL AID NETWORK OF THE GEORGIAN CSOs