Police preventively detain Saakashvili’s supporters in Tbilisi

At least ten activists were detained even before the start of the rally in front of the building of the State Security Service of Georgia. Two more protest actions against the transfer of Mikhail Saakashvili to a prison hospital are taking place near the buildings of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry for Public Health.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that starting from October 1, Mikhail Saakashvili has been on the hunger strike in the prison in Rustavi. The former president of Georgia demands to release him. On November 8, the Georgian authorities decided to transfer the politician to a prison hospital. Mikhail Saakashvili refused to be transferred to a prison hospital and demanded to place him in a private clinic. On the night of November 9, the former president of Georgia announced that he had been tricked into a prison hospital and then beaten.

Today, even before the start of the protest action in front of the building of the State Security Service in Tbilisi, police officers who were accumulated at the place began to detain the protesters, force them into police cars, and take them out of the territory. The police took away at least ten people. Meanwhile, there is no official information from the police about the status of the above-mentioned people, whether they are considered detained or not. In total, up to 100 people gathered for the protest action in front of the building of the State Security Service, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reported.

According to the protesters themselves, the detentions were carried out without any legal reason. The opposition considers the actions of the police as evidence that the authorities are afraid. “The authorities are behaving inadequately. They feel fear. The peaceful protest has not yet started,” Anna Tsitlidze, an MP from the opposition “United National Movement” (UNM) Party, told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

At the same time, two more protest actions are taking place in front of the building of the State Security Service: near the buildings of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Ministry for Public Health. Activists are protesting against the transfer of Mikhail Saakashvili to the prison hospital.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 10, 2021 at 11:29 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.