More than a dozen protests are planned in Tbilisi for Friday. Throughout the day, doctors, musicians, financiers and representatives of other spheres will march through the streets of the Georgian capital. The actions were announced on the social network Facebook, Georgia On-line reports.
Protests will also take place in other cities of Georgia. The sailors’ rally in Batumi deserves special mention. They are gathering at 19:00 on Europe Square in the city center.
The main demands of the protesters remain new parliamentary elections and the release of previously detained demonstrators.
Large-scale pro-European demonstrations have not subsided in Georgia for the 15th day. Citizens took to the streets in response to the authorities’ decision to postpone negotiations on joining the European Union until 2028.
Over the past two weeks, more than 400 people have been detained in Tbilisi. Of these, about three dozen were convicted of participating in riots and criminal cases were opened.
In Tbilisi, anti-government rallies involving thousands of people were repeatedly broken up by riot police. Tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets were used against protesters. Police carried out arrests in a chaotic manner. Human rights activists say that security forces beat and arrested mostly peaceful protesters. According to the Public Defender, up to 65% of those detained reported mistreatment by the police.