Tbilisi: commemoration participants urged to prevent demonstration dispersals

On November 7, in Tbilisi, about 2000 people came to the rally intended to remind authorities about the victims of the violent crackdown on the 2007 opposition protest. They stressed the inadmissibility of the use of force against participants in peaceful protests.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 7, 2007, in Tbilisi, in Rustaveli Avenue, massive clashes of the opposition with policemen and special fighter broke out during the dispersal of the protest action demanding the resignation of the then Georgian President, Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili. During the dispersal, law enforcers used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. According to the Georgian Ministry of Public Health, about 600 people were injured as a result of the clashes.

On November 7, 2021, in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi, a rally was held in memory of the severe dispersal of protesters by law enforcers on November 7, 2007, the "Adjara" TV Channel has reported on its website.

The commemoration action was held in the same place, where law enforcers brutally dispersed protesters 14 years ago. Participants of the present rally from among activists and human rights defenders not only came to commemorate the memory of the victims of the dispersal, but also to protest against law enforcers' actions. The events of November 7, 2007, are an example of how authorities should not act, the participants of the rally have stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 8, 2021 at 06:55 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.