Three students arrested in Tbilisi
According to lawyer Elguja Avsajanishvili, students Achi Gochitashvili, Luka Khizadze and Giorgi Barbakadze were detained on Chavchavadze Avenue at 3 a.m. on February 6 under administrative rules. They are accused of violating Article 173 of the Administrative Code, which implies disobedience to the lawful request of a law enforcement officer.
According to the lawyer, according to the investigation, they were detained while making stencils. Achi Gochitashvili and Luka Khizadze are students of Tbilisi State University and are participants in the protest. Giorgi Barbakadze is also a student.
According to the lawyer, he has already visited his clients in the Dighomi pre-trial detention center. They do not show any signs of violence.
Let us recall the reasons for the start of the pro-European protests
On November 28, 2024, Irakli Kobakhidze made a statement and announced the decision of the Georgian Dream not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 20281. Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement caused public outrage, which was followed by national, peaceful protests throughout the country.
The main demand of hundreds of thousands of people is to hold new parliamentary elections and release those detained during the protests. This was preceded by the extremely problematic parliamentary elections of October 26, 2024, the results of which were not recognized by the President of Georgia, the opposition parties that overcame the barriers, and a large part of the population. The elections held on 26 October were also assessed by the OSCE/ODIHR, whose unprecedentedly critical conclusion2 highlights a number of problems, including a large-scale violation of the fundamental principle of secrecy of elections.
Added to all this is the lack of international legitimacy regarding the elections. In addition, on 25 November 2024, the Parliament of Georgia recognized the authority of 150 deputies in violation of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament, thereby breaking the democratic chain of legitimacy of the government and departing from the constitutional order. The recognition of the authority of the members of Parliament by the Parliament of Georgia on 25 November contradicted the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament, since the legalization of the election of the full composition of the members of Parliament was appealed in the Constitutional Court.
Accordingly, until the Constitutional Court’s decision, the Parliament did not have the authority to convene and recognize the authority of the members of Parliament. The Georgian Dream confronted the legitimate protest of the people with large-scale, brutal police force and repression. The authorities have so far arrested about 500 protest participants at peaceful rallies in front of the Parliament.
QvemoQartli.ge