Police in the Georgian Black Sea city of Batumi have confronted opposition protesters carrying animal balloons outside the local government offices.
At least two people, including the opposition United National Movement Party (UNM) member Revaz Kharazi were detained on Wednesday as protesters flew balloons outside the local government building in the city.
Police have detained several protesters in recent days, including four yesterday, after they started to fly shark and zebra-shaped helium balloons with the messages ‘slavery sucks’ and ‘no to kotsis!’ outside the windows of the local government building. ‘Kotsi’ is a pejorative term for supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream Party.
Anti-government demonstrators have for years used animals to allude to the chair of Georgian Dream and the former PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire known also for his private zoo.
Six protesters have been fined ₾500 ($100) for disobeying police within the last seven days and Batumi City Court has also qualified anti-government chants like ‘shame!’ or ‘slaves!’ as petty hooliganism. Georgian watchdog group the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) called the move ‘dangerous’ for freedom of expression in Georgia.
Batumi becomes the centre of protests
Georgia has witnessed a number of anti-government protests following the introduction of strict anti-coronavirus regulations on 28 November. The restrictions include a 21:00 curfew and have halted a substantial portion of economic activities.
Most recent demonstrations have been spontaneous reactions to the curbs and major opposition groups, which dispute the results of 31 October’s parliamentary elections, have said they are not planning large protests in Tbilisi.
Batumi has been an exception, with the offices of the local government and election commission becoming a protest hotspot over the past three weeks.
The protests in Batumi have targetted the chair of the Government of Adjara, Tornike Rizhvadze, as well as the Georgian Dream party, which cemented their seats in the local Supreme Council.
All eight opposition parties that gained seats in parliament have vowed to reject their seats and boycotted 21 November second rounds held in 17 majoritarian districts, including Batumi.
Opposition leaders claim pressure as court cases reactivate amid protracted negotiations
On Wednesday, three opposition leaders — Nika Melia from the UNM, Victorious Georgia Party chair Irakli Okruashvili, and Gigi Ugulava from the European Georgia Party — all claimed that they had been notified of court proceedings against them in separate criminal cases.
Melia was suspended as an MP last December and charged with organising and participating in group violence during the 20–21 June anti-government protests last year.
On the night of 20–21 June, the UNM’s Nika Melia urged protesters to ‘peacefully occupy parliament’ and make their protest ‘more intense’. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.
Okruashvili has faced similar charges over the June 2019 protests and was sentenced to five years in prison in mid-April before being pardoned by Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili a month later. Okruashvili is still implicated in a 2004 case of abuse of official powers.
Zurabishvili explained her controversial move as a compromise needed to overcome political gridlock hindering electoral reforms and parliamentary elections.
Gigi Ugulava, who was similarly prosecuted for ‘violence’ during the night of 20-21 June 2019 and sentenced to three years in February, was also granted a pardon by Zurabishvili. He is also facing charges of money laundering during his Tbilisi mayorship and alleged violence against an electoral official in 2014.
Protesters and police clashed for hours on the night of 20–21 June. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.
Nika Gvaramia, the director of TV channel Mtavari Arkhi (‘main channel’) who occupied several government positions in 2007–2009 under the UNM, also claimed on Tuesday that hearings in his case would be unexpectedly scheduled within the coming days.
In July 2019, Gvaramia was indicted for allegedly embezzling assets from Rustavi 2, the TV company he previously ran.
All of them reported later that day that they had received further notices from the courts that their hearings were being delayed until further notice due to COVID-19.
Tbilisi City Court confirmed that they had postponed hearings in around 100 cases to avoid ‘technical-systemic collapse’ as they had moved to distance hearings.
The three political leaders said the summons were an apparent warning from Bidzina Ivanishvili, who they claim controls the courts. It came as the opposition prepares for a third round of negotiations with the government. The opposition have maintained their demand for repeated elections.
After fleeing a not-so-promising academic career and a disastrous attempt at being a bisexual activist, Shota is now a grumpy staff writer covering Georgia-related topics at OC Media. He focuses on nationalism, far-right movements, gender, and queer issues, with an eye on Eastern and Central Europe.
The Georgian parliament has passed legal amendments removing the last vestiges of independence from Adjara’s public broadcaster, subsuming it to the national public broadcaster.
On Friday, MPs from the ruling party adopted amendments to Georgia’s Law on Broadcasting eliminating the Adjara public broadcaster’s advisory board.
Adjara TV, based in the autonomous republic of Adjara in Western Georgia, was once hailed as a bastion of unbiased journalism in the country.
The changes effectively
The head of the west Georgian region of Adjara and the Mayor of Batumi have reportedly met with a Chechen businessperson with close ties to Ramzan Kadyrov.
TV Formula reported that the chair of the government of Adjara, Tornike Rizhvadze and Batumi Mayor Archil Chikovani hosted Aslanbek Akhetkhanov at a private party at the Radisson Hotel in Batumi on 29 May.
Sources told Formula that the lounge at which the party took place was closed off all night and that hotel personnel working in the lo
Georgian Dream have won a byelection for the Batumi City Council. While the council is now formally hung, a ‘neutral’ candidate is suspected to be a ruling party ally.
Georgian Dream’s candidate Ramaz Jincharadze won a convincing victory in Saturday’s vote for a majoritarian council seat in Batumi, Georgia’s second-largest city and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.
The result will upset plans by opposition groups the United National Movement (UNM) and Lelo to deny the ruling
Police have reportedly arrested up to 10 supporters of ultra-right wing and pro-Russia group Alt Info after they attacked a crowd protesting their newly-opened office in the Georgian town of Kobuleti.
Local activists came to the new branch of the Conservative Movement party, Alt Info’s recently created political wing, on Tuesday evening after holding a march in support of Ukraine, in the port city’s downtown area.
Rally co-organiser Nika Romanadze, who was among those injured in the attack
