The Georgian opposition does not plan to suspend protests in the country. The leaders demand confirmation of the withdrawal of the scandalous “foreign agents” bill and the release of all those detained during the protests.
On the evening of March 9, the Georgians again plan to come to the protests. Tsotne Koberidze, a deputy of the Tbilisi Council, said that during the rally, the protesters would demand specifics from the leading party on how they intend to withdraw the scandalous bill on “foreign agents.” The activists also demand the dismissal of the previously detained protesters.
What are the protesters demanding?
Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream, has announced that it will withdraw the draft law on the transparency of foreign influence adopted in the first reading. However, the opposition has stated that it will not abolish the protest planned for the evening.
There will definitely be a promotion today! Many young people who do not have confidence in the “Georgian Dream” and believe that we are the guarantor that the country will become part of the event. We are people who demand the fulfillment of two points, – said Tsotne Koberidze.
He stressed that the opposition needs clarity on how the authorities are going to withdraw this law, because “their statements are vague. Koberidze stressed that the actions will not stop until the detainees during the protests are released.
Large-scale protests continued in Georgia at night: there are victims
- For 2 days, Georgians have started large-scale actions against the pro-Russian bill on “foreign agents”, which is incompatible with the values and standards of the EU. In particular, on the evening of March 8, the protesters wanted to surround the parliament building. The security forces resorted to harsh actions to disperse the action: they used tear gas, light-noise grenades and water cannons.
- People threw back firecrackers, eggs and water bottles. Several windows of Parliament were also broken. One of the law enforcement officers went over to the side of the protesters at night.
- During this action, they were injured – the protesters tried to help them on their own. There are also a number of videos with beatings of activists, and how security forces shoot into the air. Lawyers report that they cannot find the defendants detained that night.
- The Special Investigation Service received 22 reports of injuries resulting from excessive use of force by law enforcement during the dispersal of protests. However, the total number of victims during the action is still unknown.
