Girchi - More Freedom members released after car smashing protest

Girchi More Freedom party members smashed a car in front of the building of Georgia’s State Security Service yesterday.

Agenda.ge, 17 Sep 2021 - 12:06, Tbilisi,Georgia

Two members of the opposition Girchi - More Freedom party, Nika Mosiashvili and Boris Kurua, have been released earlier today after they smashed the party’s Skoda Octavia car with batons and hammers in front of the State Security Service (SSS) office in protest yesterday. 

The party head Zurab Japaridze said they were protesting the ‘recent leak’ of personal data files and ‘mass illegal surveillance in the country by the state agency.’ 

 The system must be destroyed like we smashed the car which is a symbol of the agency (SSS uses Skoda cars),” Japaridze said. 

RFE/RL released the video.

He said that the detention of their members ‘was illegal’ because they smashed the car which belonged to the party.

Police said that the individuals were detained for hooliganism and disobedience to police orders. 

Georgian media outlets received a link to about 30,000 personal data files on Monday. 

An unidentified sender claimed that the data was leaked from the SSS. 

The files included compromising materials on clerics and politicians. 

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case.