08:53, 5 July 2019

Georgian GPO qualifies Tbilisi protests as an attempt of coup d'etat

The case of using violence at rallies in Tbilisi will be investigated under the article on an attempt to overthrow the power, the Georgian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) has informed. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has reported detention of four activists suspected of attacking policemen.

Zurab Budagashvili, Kakhaber Kupreishvili, Tsotne Soseliya and Besik Tamliani have been detained on suspicion of using violence during the action outside the parliament building on June 20-21. According to the MIA, Budagashvili attacked a policeman with a truncheon, while Kupreishvili threw various objects at law enforcers. They all face from six to nine years of freedom deprivation.

Investigators have concluded that at night on June 21, 2019, it was planned to overthrow the power by force, the GPO has stated.

Meanwhile, Giorgi Ugulava, the opposition leader from the "European Georgia" Party, has stated on air of the "Rustavi-2" TV Company that law enforcers are trying to falsify the case and distort the reality by claiming that soldiers of the special forces acted on their own initiative and received no order to disperse the protesters.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 4, 2019 at 10:48 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Inna Kukudjanova

Source: CK correspondent