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Batumi-Tbilisi Tunnel Is Passed Through

November 2, 2007

An artificially blocked road, police barricades, seized car registration papers and mini-buses - everything reminds people of Aslan Abashidze’s regime (former chairman of the Adjara Supreme Council). “Everything was in the same way four years ago too … let us see how it will end,” grandfather Vazha recalled the events that occurred four years ago. He is sorry he believed revolutionists and is worried he cannot join people in Tbilisi. However, he is glad that his son escaped policemen and did not lose his car registration papers.

Events before November 1
 
Several days before, police seized the car registration papers of drivers of mini-buses in Batumi. They promised the drivers to return the documents on November 3, but meanwhile they should not have any problems driving in the city.

Morning of November 2 in Batumi

It was the first time that the criminal police brought so many (eight) cars to the car impound lot, where Grisha Aftsiauri is a supervisor.

The attorney for the drivers, Ramin Gvarishvili, said that the police violated the law because they had no right to seize the documents from the drivers. 

Also, there are numerous patrol cars in front of the offices of opposition parties and they try to delay oppositionists. Despite that, as it was previously arranged, the opposition left Batumi at 1:00 PM.

…on their way to Choloki

The first obstacle for the demonstrators was in Makhinjauri at the entrance to the tunnel: the road was blocked by concrete plates. The opposition had to stop their cars and remove the plates.
However, suddenly nearly fifty people dressed in civil clothing started to harass them. Some of them tried to grab keys from the mini-buses and beat drivers. Consequently, several drivers were injured.

The clash lasted nearly one hour. Finally, the opposition supporters removed the nails. At the exit of the tunnel the tires of several mini-buses were flat; later drivers found welded nails in the tires. Davit Bedia, the head of the Adjara Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was at the scene. His comment on the situation was short: “Why are you asking me, you should ask those people (he pointed at the raiders); it must be a technical delay.”

Finally, the opposition supporters crossed the Choloki Bridge together with several leaders, who made political estimations of the incidents when they reached the Adjara-Guria regional border.

Murman Dumbadze, Republic Party: “Saakashvili is Abashidze plus Netkachov. A road full of nails, policemen cordons, illegal deprivation of freedoms. Despite all of that, the population stubbornly supports us and we will achieve our goals, we will fight for justice.”

Davit Berdzenishvili, Republic Party: “The constitutional right to free movement is breached. It is impossible to prevent a Georgian citizen to travel within his/her own country. Those concrete plates and welded nails are an innovatory idea of the current government; no other authority has ever done anything similar. We will restore justice.”

Later, the government stated that the blockage of the tunnel was caused by construction activities in the tunnel. However, it was not announced officially beforehand.

Passengers of the train also faced some problems. Only 33 tickets were sold for the Tbilisi-Batumi train where there are 400 seats in total. The reason of the delay has not been announced yet.

Maka Malakmadze, Batumi

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