In Tbilisi and Batumi, activists speak out against state of emergency

In the capital of Georgia, the police dispersed a rally, participants of which protested against the extension of the state of emergency. A similar protest action took place in Batumi, the capital of Adjara.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the state of emergency has been in force in Georgia since March 21. The government pronounced the decision to extend the state of emergency until May 22. Opposition MPs criticized the above extension measure as ill-conceived.

The police have dispersed the rally organized today by the "Girchi" Party. About 40 people were fined for participating in the rally, while four others were arrested, activist Maria Gegechkori wrote on her Facebook page.

According to Zurab Djaparidze, the leader of the "Girchi" Party, it is necessary to "launch" the Georgian economy by abandoning restrictions while observing such precautions as social distancing and wearing protective masks.

Maria Gegechkori, another activist of the "Girchi" Party, says the restrictions imposed by the Georgian authorities are useless in the fight against the pandemic. According to the activist, the economic situation continues to deteriorate. "People have lost their income and are not able to pay on loans any longer. Nobody tells them when this hell may end, and a significant part of the population already faces the problem of survival," the activist wrote on her Facebook page.

Maria Gegechkori has formulated the demands of activists, with the abolition of the state of emergency and curfew as the major requirement.