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10 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Hundreds of people have demonstrated this Sunday in front of the Parliament of the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, in an anti-government march.
The protest was organized by the United National Movement (MNU) opposition party, which was demanding this weekend as the deadline to implement the conditions that allow the country’s candidate status in the European Union, as reported by the Agenda portal.
However, some members of the opposition have refused to participate in the march, indicating that the purpose of the march is “not clear” or criticizing the coincidence of the demonstration with the anniversary of the violent dispersal of peaceful protesters by the Soviet forces on April 9, 1989.
During the protest, the release of political leaders has also been called for, including the country’s former president Mikhail Saakashvili, who claimed this week to be dying after being “systematically tortured”, and was convinced that he had been poisoned with “heavy metals”.
Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013, is serving a six-year sentence for two cases of abuse of power in connection with the beating of Valeri Gelashvili, an opposition politician, by special forces of the Police in 2005.
Saakashvili was tried and sentenced in absentia in 2018. Convictions in absentia violate international fair trial standards. He was arrested upon his return to Georgia on October 1, 2021 and faces additional abuse of power charges. His supporters say the charges are politically motivated.
On the other hand, the Government of Georgia experienced tension in its streets a few weeks ago due to a controversial bill on foreign agents, which generated strong protests. Protests from civil society and international criticism pressured the authorities to withdraw the measure, a decision that was applauded by the European Union, stressing that Tbilisi must move towards reforms that bring it closer to community standards.
