The FINANCIAL – According to RIA Novosti, Georgian police used special panic-inducing acoustic systems to disperse an opposition rally in central Tbilisi on November 7, Russian NTV channel said on November 19.
Georgia was rocked by opposition riots for six days earlier this month as protestors occupied central Tbilisi demanding the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili. The Georgian leader responded by sending in riot police to crack down on protesters on November 7, later declaring a state of emergency, which was lifted on Friday evening.
On November 8, Saakashvili announced early presidential elections for January 5, 2008.
The footage of NTV's Itogovaya Programma showed police directing an acoustic system mounted on a police jeep towards demonstrators, causing people to run in panic.
"This system was reported to be used by U.S. forces during combat operations in Iraq. On November 7, the system was seen being used by special units of the Georgian Interior Ministry to disperse a peaceful rally in Tbilisi," an unnamed technical expert told the program.
According to the program, the system is produced by a U.S. company. The operation principle is based on a strong acoustic impulse exceeding by almost a thousand times the acoustic threshold for humans.
"When it is used, the system causes a severe ear ache, and a feeling of unexplainable and uncontrolled fear and panic. The sound is so strong that people cannot physically get away or hide from it. In the estimate of some experts, the use of such systems can cause psychic disorders," the specialist said.
According to the expert, the system does not fall under any international conventions as it was developed after their adoption.
The Georgian president to submit on November 13 to parliament for approval a new line up for the Cabinet of Ministers, the news agency Novosti-Georgia said, referring to Giya Khuroshvili, the parliamentary secretary for the government.
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