Press Scanner
Compiled By Inna Egieva
Wednesday, April 29
Young demonstrators say Saakashvili wants to go
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that there is no end in sight to the protest actions which began on April 9. The capital has become a “city of cells” and every day there are some incidents between the opposition and authorities. All these things have created high tension in the city and the situation borders on dangerous.
The leaders of the opposition parties have many times expressed their dissatisfaction with the disinclination of young people to take part in protests, but many of the young are now involved. While the rest of the opposition holds demonstrations in front of Parliament, the President’s Residence and the Public Broadcaster, the public organization Ratom, most of whose members are students and young people, are holding similar demonstrations outside nearly all the Government institutions.
On the April 27 they assembled at City Hall and this visit to the Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava wasn’t without conflict. City Hall security didn’t give the demonstrators permission to put posters in front of the building, and a clash subsequently occurred. Luckily nobody was seriously injured. However demonstrators later made these comments:
“We have received information that Mikheil Saakashvili has taken the decision to resign but Gigi Ugulava and other members of his circle will not let him,” said Zurab Kadagiri. “As we can see the problem is not only the President.” “We wanted to tell Gigi Ugulava not to prevent the President leaving his post, but the Mayor didn’t want to talk to us and answered through his security,” said Zurab Kordzaia. Jurkha Fkhaladze said, “They didn’t allow us to state our position and they tried to provoke us. But we are peaceful demonstrators and have a constitutional right to express our opinion anywhere, whether it is the Parliament building or Ugulava’s office.”
A demonstration under the slogan “help Misha” will be held outside other Government offices over the next few days.
Don’t assault opposition youths!
Sakartvelos Respublika reports that the Movement for United Georgia has asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to stop intimidating opposition-supporting youth.
On April 27 the leader of the Movement’s youth wing Leri Lapachi stated that the Government is still menacing and physically abusing its activists. He said that on April 25 four men in masks had attacked party activist Giorgi Martinenko in Gori.
“These people were waiting for Giorgi near his house. At 10 pm as he was entering his house they attacked him. The neighbours came out to help him but the aggressors hid,” Lapachi stated, commenting that this is not the first instance of special service officers assaulting members of opposition parties.
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that there is no end in sight to the protest actions which began on April 9. The capital has become a “city of cells” and every day there are some incidents between the opposition and authorities. All these things have created high tension in the city and the situation borders on dangerous.
The leaders of the opposition parties have many times expressed their dissatisfaction with the disinclination of young people to take part in protests, but many of the young are now involved. While the rest of the opposition holds demonstrations in front of Parliament, the President’s Residence and the Public Broadcaster, the public organization Ratom, most of whose members are students and young people, are holding similar demonstrations outside nearly all the Government institutions.
On the April 27 they assembled at City Hall and this visit to the Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava wasn’t without conflict. City Hall security didn’t give the demonstrators permission to put posters in front of the building, and a clash subsequently occurred. Luckily nobody was seriously injured. However demonstrators later made these comments:
“We have received information that Mikheil Saakashvili has taken the decision to resign but Gigi Ugulava and other members of his circle will not let him,” said Zurab Kadagiri. “As we can see the problem is not only the President.” “We wanted to tell Gigi Ugulava not to prevent the President leaving his post, but the Mayor didn’t want to talk to us and answered through his security,” said Zurab Kordzaia. Jurkha Fkhaladze said, “They didn’t allow us to state our position and they tried to provoke us. But we are peaceful demonstrators and have a constitutional right to express our opinion anywhere, whether it is the Parliament building or Ugulava’s office.”
A demonstration under the slogan “help Misha” will be held outside other Government offices over the next few days.
Don’t assault opposition youths!
Sakartvelos Respublika reports that the Movement for United Georgia has asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to stop intimidating opposition-supporting youth.
On April 27 the leader of the Movement’s youth wing Leri Lapachi stated that the Government is still menacing and physically abusing its activists. He said that on April 25 four men in masks had attacked party activist Giorgi Martinenko in Gori.
“These people were waiting for Giorgi near his house. At 10 pm as he was entering his house they attacked him. The neighbours came out to help him but the aggressors hid,” Lapachi stated, commenting that this is not the first instance of special service officers assaulting members of opposition parties.