Students address ruling party, say ‘ready for dialogue, constructive work’
240 individuals, including 32 journalists and 80 law enforcers were injured during a clash on Rustaveli Avenue of June 20. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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A total of 35 students from eleven different universities of Georgia have addressed the ruling Georgian Dream party Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili to support the establishment of a state advisory council of youth aimed at strengthening communication between the government and youth.
Calling the recent developments in front of the parliament of Georgia “critical”, the youth said their “justified” protest was a response to “the severe mistake” committed by the government of Georgia.
They say dialogue between youth and the government “is the only way to avoid escalations and preserve stability in the country.”
If we agree on the necessity to have a state of law, it is absolutely unacceptable to storm state institutions, but it is also unacceptable for the state to use unjustified force against youth”, the letter reads.
The students welcomed the ruling party’s decision for the 2020 parliamentary elections to take place using the proportional system with an electoral threshold of zero, which has been one of the top demands of demonstrators gathered in Tbilisi since June 20.
However, they believe, all of important achievements "can be endangered if the developments of June 20 are not assessed objectively”.
We, as the citizens of Georgia, feel responsible and in this important moment for the country, express our readiness for dialogue and constructive work”, they said.
Peaceful demonstrators will gather on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi for the twelveth consecutive day today, again demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze was the first to respond to the letter yesterday.
Welcoming the “constructive approach” of the students towards the current events Bakhtadze said “the future of the country” is in the hands of youth.
By abolishing the election thresholds you, the young people, have an opportunity to enter politics and have more chances to engage in the governance of the country”, PM Bakhtadze wrote on his Facebook page.
He then said that he would welcome meeting with the students on a new youth platform.
Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Tbilisi protests were sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament during the 26th Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, when Russian MP Sergey Gavrilov took the seat of the Georgian parliamentary speaker to address the audience.
- The rally following the developments in parliament on June 20 was dispersed by police after a part of the demonstrators decided to storm the parliament building, leaving 305 detained and 240 injured.
- The Georgian Dream ruling party says that the “justified and peaceful” protest of people was transformed into violence due to the “provocative and destructive” actions by opposition members.
- Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia explained that were used on June 20 are in line with international standards and none of them were illegal to use at similar demonstrations, but the protesters claim the police used unjustified force and targeted people with bullets used to hunt animals.
Protests in Tbilisi continue as the last demand of demonstrators remains unfulfilled – the resignation of Interior Minister Gakharia for the violent dispersal of the rally.
The European Georgia and the United National Movement opposition parties have refused to attend the presentation at 2 p.m., when the Georgian Dream ruling party will propose the changes in the constitution for Georgia to have fully proportional voting in the 2020 parliamentary elections, the electoral system have demanded by the opposition for years.
Peaceful demonstrators have gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi for the tenth consecutive day today, again demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia. The protesters marched from the First Republic Square to the Freedom Square in sign of peaceful protest before they would resume the demonstration in front ot the parliament of Georgia.
Ambassadors of the European Union, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to Georgia are urging for a transparent investigation into the police response to the June 20 rallies in Tbilisi.
The Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov calls on Russian artists who planned to perform in Georgia “to think of their safety”. Peskov told Interfax news agency today that Russian artists should take into consideration that their trip to Georgia “may be dangerous” amid the ongoing protest rallies.
A number of university entrants from Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Abkhazia were unable to sit today’s Unified National Examinations in Georgian language and literature as the de facto leadership of Abkhazia closed the Enguri Bridge crossing-point connecting the region with the rest of Georgia.
15 opposition parties have addressed new Parliamentary Speaker Archil Talakvadze and demanded that the parliamentary group working on election reform be expanded. The opposition says that the list of the parties involved in the working group should be revised and the reform group should be of a more inclusive nature.
One of the men detained for incitement to violence at June 20 rally in Tbilisi, Soso Bajelidze, has been released on 5,000 GEL ($1,677) bail earlier on September 16.
Tbilisi City Court has left Moris Machalikashvili and two others-Ilia Memanishvili and Gogi Kurdovanidze in pretrial detention for possible incitement to violence during the June 20 rally in Tbilisi. 19 protestors and 2 police officers have been charged regarding the June 20-21 rallies in central Tbilisi so far.