Tbilisi protesters vow to fight until victory

On the 291st day of protests, participants of pro-European actions blocked traffic near the Georgian parliament, they chanted slogans: "Until the end" and "Fear the power of the people." The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported a criminal case against the leader of the Droa party, Elene Khoshtaria, for damaging the election banner of Kakha Kaladze.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, supporters of European integration gathered on September 13 for a march organized by the opposition with a call to prevent the cancellation of the visa-free regime with the European Union, among the protesters were the fifth president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, and the leader of the Droa party, Elene Khoshtaria. The marchers ended at the Georgian Parliament and blocked Rustaveli Avenue on the 290th day of protests.

The protesters blocked the road on the 291st day of the protest. Earlier today, supporters of European integration gathered at the building of the Public Broadcaster and moved towards the parliament. They chanted slogans: "Fear the power of the people", "Until the end". The protesters brought with them banners of various content, as well as flags of Georgia and the European Union. Police forces were also deployed to the scene. The protesters' demands remain unchanged: to call new parliamentary elections and release those detained during the protests, Interpressnews reports.

One of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change", the leader of the opposition party "Droa" Elene Khoshtaria, left the inscription "Russian Dream" on the election banner of the candidate for mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze and the current occupant of this post, Publika reported. "Solidarity with Megi," Khoshtaria wrote on the social network.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported a criminal case against Khoshtaria. "Based on an appeal from representatives of the Georgian Dream party, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation into the damage to election banners under Article 187 of the Criminal Code, which provides for damage to or destruction of property. According to the report, this action was committed by one of the leaders of the For Change coalition, Elene Khoshtaria. Law enforcement agencies are conducting investigative actions, and based on the examination, the exact amount of damage will be determined, after which an appropriate legal response will follow,” the publication quoted the agency’s statement.

Recall that earlier, eight opposition parties announced a boycott of the municipal elections scheduled for October 4. In July, President Mikheil Kavelashvili announced that he was ready to pardon opposition leaders convicted of failing to appear at parliamentary commission meetings in exchange for their participation in the municipal elections. After this, the Lelo - Strong Georgia coalition renounced its boycott of the elections.

* the activities of the Meta company (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) are prohibited in Russia.