Two protesters demanding ex-president Saakashvili’s release detained at rally
Saakashvili served as the country’s third president from 2004 to 2013 and was found guilty of abuse of power in two cases in absentia in 2018. Photo: screenshot from RFE/RL video.
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Police have arrested two protesters at a rally in support of jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili in front of the government administration building earlier today.
Demonstrators demanding the release of Saakashvili attempted to draw graffiti reading 'Freedom to Misha' in front of the building, which resulted in a clash between protesters and officers.
Nika Narsia and Otar Gurgenidze have been arrested for attempting to deface property at the protest rally, local media outlet IPN reports.
Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 and, since then, several rallies have been held in support of the former president.
Local media outlet Netgazeti reported that approximately 40,000 individuals protested the former president’s arrest at Freedom Square in Tbilisi. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The largest opposition party, United National Movement (UNM), founded by Saakashvili, has announced ‘large-scale rallies’ in all major cities of Georgia following the demonstration on October 14, when thousands of people gathered in central Tbilisi demanding Saakashvili’s release.
Mikheil Saakashvili, who is a citizen of Ukraine and chairs the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Reforms Council, is currently on a hunger strike and considers himself a political prisoner.
Saakashvili served as the country’s third president from 2004 to 2013 and was found guilty of abuse of power in two cases in absentia in 2018, and has been sentenced to six years of imprisonment.
Ruling party MP and Vice Parliament Speaker Gia Volski has responded to the protest rally organised by the largest opposition party, United National Movement (UNM), stating that ‘the number of people gathered at the rally proved nothing to me.’ The UNM and its supporters demanded the release of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was arrested on October 1, the day before municipal elections in the country took place.
The United Nations Movement (UNM) plans to hold ‘large rallies’ in all large cities in Georgia, during which demonstrators will demand the release of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili from prison, UNM member Levan Bezhashvili said earlier today.
Georgian law enforcers are present at various locations in central Tbilisi in the evening to ensure peace during the United National Movement (UNM) rally which began at 6 p.m. and where demonstrators are demanding the release of former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili from prison.
Police have arrested several supporters of recently detained former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in front of Rustavi prison earlier today as a result of a clash between protesters and law enforcers. The largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party supporter Zviad Kuprava has been arrested along with several other protesters who aimed to make inscriptions 'Freedom to Misha' on the walls of the prison.
Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze says that a medical council will be held today to assess the health of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili who is currently serving time in prison. Tikaradze explained that she is not personally involved in the discussion regarding the ex-president’s health, and the medical council is being convened on the request of Saakashvili's personal doctor Nikoloz Kipshidze.