Police prevented a Navalny memorial rally from being held in central Tbilisi.

On February 16, 2024, politician Alexei Navalny died in prison after, according to a statement from the Federal Penitentiary Service, his condition sharply worsened. Residents of Russian cities, including those in the south, have been persecuted for attempting to lay flowers in memory of Navalny at memorials to victims of political repression.

The organizers of the event, Frame activists, announced today that a rally in memory of Navalny had been cancelled. According to the Russian activists, they appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to organize the rally, but the Ministry banned them from gathering on Freedom Square, citing that they were not permitted to stand on the road or sidewalk. They eventually gathered in a building in the city center, the Pirveli TV channel reported today.

"Friends, bad and urgent news. Unfortunately, in order to protect everyone, we are forced to move the event dedicated to Alexei Navalny's memory from the Pushkin monument to Betlemi 23. The police have decided to ban us from holding the rally dedicated to Alexei's memory at the previous location. The law has changed in Georgia, and although our rally did not violate it, we did not intend to block the street, and by law such an event does not even require notification. However, since we received a negative response from the police, we understand that we could put some of the participants at risk if we do not reschedule the meeting," the community said in a message on their Telegram channel.

According to the organizers, at a time when such events are taking place all over the world, and when international laboratories have confirmed that Navalny was killed on orders with a potent poison banned in Internationally, Georgia does not want to allow a rally or even a memorial service for him.

"After hearing this news, we decided to gather and hold a solidarity rally, but we were told we had no right to stand on the road or sidewalk. We were simply told we couldn't. Unfortunately, the actions of the Georgian police are now very similar to those of the Russian police. Over the past four years, since I moved here, everything has changed. Not only the police, but also the way they handle bureaucratic issues is very similar to the Russian one," said one of the rally participants.

"The new location for the memorial event: Betlemi Street, Frame activist space. We will place a flower basket with a portrait of Alexei near the entrance," wrote the community activists.

"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that Volgograd resident Andrei was detained at the monument to victims of political repression while laying flowers on the anniversary of his death. Alexei Navalny. As the detainee later reported, several civilians approached him and asked for his documents. He was then taken to a car and brought to the police station.

* The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) is included in the register of foreign agents, designated as extremist, and banned in Russia. The foundation's founder, Alexei Navalny, was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists and terrorists and was sentenced to 19 years in prison for extremism. He died in prison in February 2024. Navalny is recognized as a "prisoner of conscience." The "Caucasian Knot" article "Navalny: The Caucasian Dimension" outlines the opposition leader's views on issues related to the Caucasus.

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