TBILISI, February 2. /TASS/. Protesters are gathering near the Tbilisi Mall shopping center to block the northern entrance road to Georgia's capital, a TASS correspondent reported on Sunday.
So far, only a relatively small number of people has gathered, but other rally participants have already begun marching to the shopping center from different parts of the city. The authorities have deployed police units and employees of the criminal investigation department and ordered several tow trucks and firefighting vehicles to arrive to the site.
Earlier on Sunday, the Georgian Interior Ministry issued a statement, in which it once again warned protesters that the blocking of the entrance road to Tbilisi, which is an international facility of strategic importance, would be followed by criminal penalties. At the moment, the shopping center is operating normally.
A new wave of rallies started in Georgia on November 28. They were sparked by a statement by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who said that the country’s authorities would freeze the opening of the EU accession talks. The first week of rallies was the toughest, after which the actions became more peaceful. The protests take place daily outside the parliament building and end around midnight after citizens voluntarily leave Rustaveli Avenue.