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Activists of Youth Organizations Detained at the Parliament

May 31, 2012

Tamta Beliashvili

On May 29, the law enforcement officers arrested the activists of the public movements November 7, Civil Front and Maro Makashvili’s Women Organization. They were holding demonstration in front of the parliament to protest detention of their friends near Gelati on May 26.

Leader of the public movement November 7 Irakli Beraia told journalists that on May 26 they had arrived in Gelati monastery and on their way back police officers arbitrarily detained some of their friends. He said seven activists were fined with 400 GEL, three of them are in pretrial detention setting.

According to the news agency Interpresnews, on May 29, young people requested release of the detainees with their demonstration in front of the Parliament. More than ten people participated in the assembly. Afterwards, they walked on the street and stopped on the line. Police officers put all of them into cars and took them away. Demonstrators resisted the law enforcement officers.

During the incident the road was blocked during five minutes; afterwards the traffic movement restored in Rustaveli Avenue.

MIA released statement about the incident near the parliament. “On May 29 participants of the protest rally in front of the Parliament building have blocked Rustaveli Avenue and ignored the request of Patrol Police to unblock the traffic movement. Protesters have offered resistance to Patrol officers on the basis of which they were detained. Based on the decision made by Tbilisi Civil Court Maia Mikhanashvili, Ketevan Goginanshvili and Lia Gamrekeli were fined in the amount of 400 GEL in accordance with article 173 of Administrative Violations Code of Georgia. Other detainees, such as: Zaza Svanadze, Irakli Beraia and Irakli Kachiauri were sentenced to thirty days of imprisonment, while Sergo Kiguradze and Akaki Omaladze to fifteen days of freedom restriction,”  MIA stated.

Tbilisi City Court judged the detainees under administrative law. Lawyer Gela Nikolasivhili told the Human Rights Center that the detainees were charged not only under Article 173 (resistance to police officers) but also under Article 166 (minor hooliganism) of the Administrative Code of Georgia. The lawyer said the young people were arbitrarily judged and fined.

According to Nikolaishvili, the activists gathered in front of the parliament building to request freedom of their friends arrested on May 26. The protesters intended to stand on the central line on the road without blocking the traffic movement. But the patrol police put all of them in the car and detained them.

The lawyer said the police officers alleged eight people – three girls and five boys blocked the movement during 2 minutes. So, one of the police officers requested two-month imprisonment for the detainees. The demonstrators stated that it took them only several seconds to cross the street. However, one of the police officers stated that young people had blocked the traffic movement during 15 minutes though he could not provide evidence.

Lawyer Gela Nikolashvili believes the court passed unfair judgment in favor of police officers and did not consider the testimonies of the detainees and witnesses.

The lawyer evaluated the detention of young people in Gelati on May 26 too. He said the police evidently had wrong information as if young people intended to fail President Mikheil Saakashvili’s visit in Gelati – to ask unpleasant questions to him in public. The lawyer said the young people were not allowed to approach the Gelati Monastery either; they resisted the police orders and consequently, the young people were arrested and fined under administrative law.

Video of Palitra.tv

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