TBILISI, February 2. /TASS/. One of Georgia’s opposition leaders, Nika Melia, who was detained during protests in Tbilisi on Sunday has been released, TV Pirveli reported.
Melia was detained earlier in the day during a protest rally near the Tbilisi Mall shopping center, where the demonstrators tried to block traffic along the highway leading to the city. The police did not let the protesters do this having detained several activists. Later, the demonstrators marched to the parliament building in downtown Tbilisi.
Another wave of protests was sparked by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's statement on November 28 when he said that the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party had decided to postpone any talk about launching accession negotiations until late 2028 and decline any funding from the European Union. According to the premier, the decision comes after repeated attempts by the EU to blackmail Georgia with promises of launching the talks in exchange for Tbilisi revoking certain laws passed by the country’s parliament, and calls for sanctions against Georgian authorities.
Ever since, protests rallies have been held daily in Tbilisi and other large cities in the country. During the first week, protests grew into clashes with the police who used water cannons and tear gas. In recent weeks, the protests have been held peacefully.