16 people detained at rally in Tbilisi
In parallel to the plenary session held in the Parliament of Georgia, the participants of the action protested against the conclusion of the temporary investigative commission on the issue related to the August 2008 war.
"In connection with the ongoing demonstration on Rustaveli Avenue, the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers were mobilized to ensure public order. Despite repeated calls by the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers to the demonstrators not to disrupt traffic, they did not obey the lawful demand of the police. Based on the above, the police detained 16 people in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses," the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia reported on September 2.
Initially, the protesters held their action behind the parliament building, after which they moved to the side entrance to the parliament, on April 9 Street. Shouts of "Slaves" and "Traitors of the Motherland" were heard at the deputies leaving the legislative body. They also tried to block the road, but the police on site did not allow them to do so. Then the protesters, who were significantly fewer in number than the mobilized police, went to block Rustaveli, but the police blocked the road themselves, the Telegram channel "Tbilisi life" reports.
Eight oppositionists were convicted on charges of failing to comply with the demands of the parliamentary temporary investigative commission: the leaders of the Lelo party Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change Zurab Japaridze, the leader of the Strategy Agmashenebeli party Giorgi Vashadze, the former head of the parliamentary defense and security committee Givi Targamadze and the leaders of the Akhali party Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia and Irakli Okruashvili.
Recall that in February, a parliamentary commission began work in Georgia to study the "crimes of the regime" of Mikheil Saakashvili in 2003-2012. The commission intends to prove that the "Five-Day War" in 2008 was initiated by the third president of Georgia.
Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" wrote that a court in Tbilisi found eight protesters guilty of organizing group actions that violated public order and sentenced them to terms ranging from two to two and a half years in prison. Salome Zurabishvili called the verdict politically motivated.