Riot police, water cannons ready as UNM plans to block roads
Opposition activists are marching in central Tbilisi now. They have plans to block roads on both banks of the Mtkvari River. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Riot police and water cannons are at Baratashvili bridge in central Tbilisi, where activists of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party are marching to block roads on the both banks of the Mtkvari River.
The UNM is demanding an ‘immediate transfer’ of former president Mikheil Saakashvili to a civil clinic from a prison hospital, after a 46-day hunger strike.
UNM head Nika Melia says that the presence of riot police and law enforcement vehicles at the opposition rally ‘point to the weakness of the Georgian Dream (GD) government, and that the regime is deteriorating.’
#Georgia #Tbilisi #HappeningRightNow: Protesters blocked the embankment of Mtkvari river, demanding transfer of #Saakashvili to civil hospital. Riot police on high alert. Find more on https://t.co/BNtP2Oqx92 website pic.twitter.com/N7hVcwMkyz
— Agenda Georgia (@AgendaGeorgia) November 15, 2021
Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze says that the UNM has plans to deliberately block roads and cause traffic jams, which is a violation of the law, and the ministry will use proportional force and act in accordance with the law to prevent the violation.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs also issued a statement earlier today calling on the UNM to act in accordance with the law, and warned demonstrators that causing disruption in traffic is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Statement of MIA regarding the events planned in Tbilisi within the frames of "United National Movement" protest rally. https://t.co/WVnaLxFmnl
— MIA of Georgia (@MIAofGeorgia) November 15, 2021
Saakashvili stated last week that he is ready to stop the hunger strike if he is brought to a civil clinic. However, the Georgian Justice Ministry has not satisfied this condition so far.
The government says that Saakashvili and the UNM have plans to cause unrest if the former president is brought to a civil clinic.
Saakashvili was convicted in Georgia in absentia in 2018 for abuse of power and was sentenced to six years in prison.
He has also been charged with five other offenses.
He says he returned to Georgia after eight years in political exile to remove the Georgian Dream from power.
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has again not been allowed by the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia to attend a trial in Tbilisi City Court today about an embezzlement case in which he is implicated.
The Georgian Interior Ministry says that the plans announced by the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party to block roads on both banks of the River Mtkvari in the afternoon is against the law and that the ministry will use the ‘proportional force and act in accordance with the law’ to prevent the violation.
Nine MPs from the parliamentary faction United National Movement - Unified Opposition have gone on hunger strike, demanding the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili be transferred from the prison hospital where he is currently receiving care to a civil clinic. The MPs who went on hunger strike are: David Kirkitadze, Akaki Minashvili, Temur Janashia, Bachuki Kardava, Nika Machutadze, Giorgi Godabrelidze, Sulkhan Sibashvili, Levan Bejashvili, and Abdula Ismailov.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze has stated that the Georgian Dream government ‘will be happy’ if former president Mikheil Saakashvili calls off his 43-day hunger strike ‘without raising preconditions.’Saakashvili said yesterday that he is ready to stop his hunger strike if he is brought to a civil clinic which will provide proper medical care in the post-hunger strike period.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party rally, which aimed to block roads on both banks of the Mtkvari River today, ended at the presidential palace in central Tbilisi shortly before as the party leadership changed their previous plans.
The opposition United National Movement (UNM) party has held a car rally protest earlier today demanding imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili’s transfer from a prison hospital where he is currently receiving care to a civil clinic. Motorcade processions were held on Republic Square, in front of the UNM’s central office and the Central Election Commission building.