18 persons detained during dispersal of protesters in Tbilisi

Policemen have removed protesters' barricades and tents from the parliament building in Tbilisi and detained 18 activists, but the protest rally continued.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since November 14, a round-the-clock protest action is held in Tbilisi, which began after the failure of the parliamentary vote on the draft to change the electoral system. On November 18, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) demanded from the protesters not to block the work of the parliament; and special force agents were brought to the venue. After several failed demands to unblock the parliament, policemen began dismantling protesters' tents, and then used water cannon; and the protesters were pushed away from the service entrance to the parliament. Law enforcers also used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

As a result of the dispersal of the protest action in central Tbilisi, the MIA reported the detention of 18 activists suspected of administrative offenses, without specifying the detainees' names. There is information that Zuka Berdzenishvili, a co-organizer of the protest rally, a son of the leader of the Republican Party; Zurab Djaparidze, the leader of the "Girchi" political association; and Beka Basilaya, a rights defender, were among the detainees, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports with reference to the "Rustavi-2" TV Company.

Policemen have removed the tents and pushed the protesters away from the parliament building. After the dispersal of the rally, leaders of oppositional parties went to the "Courtyard Marriott" Hotel to hold consultations with foreign diplomats, but some of the activists stayed in the venue of the rally.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 18, 2019 at 09:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.