On July 15, 2011, the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Georgia released a statement saying that based on the footage disseminated by media outlets, the office of the prosecutor, statements of the public defender and NGOs, it carried out the examination of disciplinary violations committed by employees of the MIA during the dispersal of the May 26, 2011 rally and punished 16 employees, including by dismissing 4 employees of the Interior Ministry. 

With regards to the noted statement, GYLA believes that the Interior Ministry's response to information disseminated by media outlets, as well as statements of NGOs and the public defender is important for government accountability and prevention of any future offences by employees of the Interior Ministry. However, GYLA believes that the information released by the Ministry fails to reveal specific criminal offences that noted individuals were held liable for or positions that they were holding. The statement says nothing about whether the MIA officers that were involved in the process of planning the May 26 rally dispersal and were personally responsible for carrying out the operation were punished. 

GYLA believes that considering the participants were not informed about exists before the rally dispersal began and the police had basically blocked all main streets around the rally scene, and furthermore, particularly great amount of police force was used during the process of rally dispersal, officials that planned and were leading the dispersal should be held adequately liable. 

In consideration of a high public interest in the noted issue, GYLA demands the Interior Ministry to make the information public about specific violations of law and individual officials that were held disciplinary liable. 

Furthermore, GYLA believes that responding to the disproportional use of force by the police during the May 26, 2011 rally dispersal should not be limited by holding several employees of the Ministry disciplinary liable. GYLA as well as other human rights organizations have documented excessive use of force by the police during the dispersal, including facts of abuse and beating that clearly contain signs of crime. Therefore, GYLA demands the prosecutor's office to investigate alleged facts of excessive use of force during the May 26, 2011 rally dispersal in a timely and effective manner. In this regard, it is of particular importance that the investigation provides adequate answers to all questions and suspicions of public about alleged facts of killings during and related to the dispersal.