All news

Organizers of Tbilisi rallies plan to stage motor rally to interior ministry’s building

Mass protests in Tbilisi will be resumed on Monday

TBILISI, June 23. /TASS/. Mass protests in Tbilisi will be resumed on Monday. It is planned to stage a motor rally from the central Republic Square to the building of the interior ministry located several kilometers away, Shota Digmelashvili, one of the organizers of the rallies in front of the parliament building, said on Sunday.

According to Digmelashvili, the motor rally will be begin at two p.m., or during the lunch time in most of offices, to attract as many people as possible.

On June 20, thousands of protesters along with the opposition activists tries to break into the building of Georgia’s parliament demanding resignation of the interior minister and parliament speaker. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. As many as 305 people were detained, 240 people were reported to be injured.

The rally followed a row over the participation of Russian State Duma member Sergei Gavrilov and other Russian delegates in the 26th session of the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO). On Thursday morning, Gavrilov opened the IAO session inside the Georgian parliament’s building in the capacity of IAO president. Georgian opposition legislators were very angry Gavrilov addressed the delegates from the seat of the parliament speaker. In protest, the opposition disrupted the General Assembly. According to mass media reports, Gavrilov allegedly participated in combat operation in Abkhazia and Transnistria. Gavrilov refuted these allegations as untrue.

Georgia’s parliament speaker Irakli Kobakhidze stepped down amidst the protests on June 21.

Protests in front of the parliament building continued on Sunday. Protesters demanded resignation of Interior Minister Georgy Gakhariya, early parliamentary elections under the proportional representation system and release of those detained on Thursday. Clashes with police were reported.