Molotov Cocktails and Painted Bill-Boards in Poti against Georgian Dream

Inga Gvasalia, Poti

Georgian Dream’s majoritarian candidate in Poti, Eka Beselia, demands investigation into incidents of billboards being damaged and so-called Molotov cocktails being thrown at the Nabadi district HQ.

On September 26, Eka Beselia held a special briefing regarding this incident. “A few days before the elections, the government is in agony. After the video-footage about inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners was aired, followed by a large-scale assembly of the coalition Georgian Dream in Zugdidi, the government is actively staging provocations in the regions every day. Saakashvili is doing his best to escalate the situation in the regions and maintain his power through intimidation and falsification, but everything is already settled. Screening the video-footage about prisoners’ torture and inhuman treatment finally destroyed Saakashvili’s reputation as democratic leader in Europe. Georgian society has already decided that their verdict will be passed on October 1 and even Molotov cocktails cannot save the government. Now they aired new TV-shows and released some recordings. I call upon the society not to pay attention to this poor and groundless information,” Eka Beselia said and urged law enforcement officers to immediately start an investigation: “I demand an investigation to uncover those perpetrators of the Nabadi PEC attack.”

Beselia also spoke about recent provocations by National Movement activists. She said that aggression on the part of the ruling party’s activists has notably increased lately. “On September 24, activists of the National Movement tried to provoke Georgian Dream activists all day long. They came and shouted near our office; they insulted our young members, but they failed to provoke us. We are doing our best not to assist the government in implementing their plans at this election. They did not manage to intimidate our young members and now they have damaged our election banner with red paint. In the morning, Irakli Gigiberia, the owner of the house where we have our office, found an unexploded Molotov cocktail. That is a serious crime.”

After the briefing, the majoritarian candidate distributed election flyers and booklets together with their party members in the streets. Then they visited Georgian Dream’s two activists Gizo Tsatsua and Goderdzi Shonia, detained under administrative law, in Poti police station. On September 24, Poti City Court sentenced the activists to 40-day's imprisonment.

Eka Beselia said the activists are in good health. “I promised them they will leave detention before the end of their sentence. Nobody has mistreated them. They are just asking for magazines and newspapers in order to get information about the current situation. I am sure they will not have to stay in prison for 40 days,” Eka Beselia said.

Despite the tense situation in the country, Eka Beselia urged citizens to be calm in order to hold elections in a peaceful environment. She also called upon judges to refrain from approving politically-motivated decisions.