The News in Brief
Monday, May 13, 2024
Prepared by Messenger Staff
Opposition Demands Withdrawal of 'Russian Law', Rejects Attempts to Whitewash Repression
Seven opposition parties, including Ahali, Girchi - More Freedom, Droa, United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Lelo, and the Republican Party of Georgia, issued a joint statement declaring that the "Russian law" is not subject to improvement. According to them, Georgian Dream should unconditionally withdraw it.
"The public statements made by representatives of Georgian Dream regarding cosmetic changes to the Russian law and their attempt to whitewash this anti-state, anti-constitutional, and anti-European initiative are aimed at misleading the united and strong Georgian society, as well as our international partners.
As a result of Ivanishvili's Russian initiative, a significant portion of our population has fallen victim to psychological and physical terror. This includes not only criminal groups operating with state backing but also police units from the Ministry of Internal Affairs involved in terrorizing opponents of the law.
Ivanishvili has made political repression a daily reality for our people. The international image of Georgia has already been seriously damaged, and our European and Euro-Atlantic future is under attack. Therefore, we, the democratic opposition, will not accept a whitewashed version of the Russian law. This law is not subject to improvement and must be unconditionally withdrawn.
We, the united opposition, continue to oppose the Russian law and regime for the European future of Georgia," the statement reads.
Court Orders Pretrial Detention for Military Blogger Ucha Abashidze and Wife Amid 'Foreign Agents' Law Protests
Ucha Abashidze, a military blogger and active participant in anti-Russian protests, was arrested on May 9. During the arrest, police conducted investigative activities at his house for several hours, preventing Abashidze's lawyer and family from visiting him. Supporters and protesters against the "Foreign Agents" law gathered at Abashidze's house, leading to a significant police presence.
The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Ucha Abashidze and his wife, Mariam Iashvili, to pretrial detention as a preventive measure. Shota Tutberidze, the defendants' lawyer, criticized Judge Aleksandre Iashvili's decision as unfounded.
The prosecutor's office has charged Abashidze and Iashvili with invasion of privacy. Additionally, Abashidze faces charges related to the illegal purchase and possession of ammunition, which he denies.
Much of the court session was held behind closed doors, and a nondisclosure agreement was signed between the prosecutor's office and the defense. Consequently, details of the case beyond the state's official indictment remain unknown at this stage.
During the portion of the session open to journalists, Abashidze described feeling humiliated and subjected to a cynical attitude by the police during the search.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a video after the arrest claiming to show weapons seized from Abashidze's house. Abashidze is a member of the Airsoft Federation, a sport involving toy guns and biodegradable plastic bullets. His family contends that all confiscated weapons, except for two officially registered firearms, were "toys".
Opposition Demands Withdrawal of 'Russian Law', Rejects Attempts to Whitewash Repression
"The public statements made by representatives of Georgian Dream regarding cosmetic changes to the Russian law and their attempt to whitewash this anti-state, anti-constitutional, and anti-European initiative are aimed at misleading the united and strong Georgian society, as well as our international partners.
As a result of Ivanishvili's Russian initiative, a significant portion of our population has fallen victim to psychological and physical terror. This includes not only criminal groups operating with state backing but also police units from the Ministry of Internal Affairs involved in terrorizing opponents of the law.
Ivanishvili has made political repression a daily reality for our people. The international image of Georgia has already been seriously damaged, and our European and Euro-Atlantic future is under attack. Therefore, we, the democratic opposition, will not accept a whitewashed version of the Russian law. This law is not subject to improvement and must be unconditionally withdrawn.
We, the united opposition, continue to oppose the Russian law and regime for the European future of Georgia," the statement reads.
Court Orders Pretrial Detention for Military Blogger Ucha Abashidze and Wife Amid 'Foreign Agents' Law Protests
The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Ucha Abashidze and his wife, Mariam Iashvili, to pretrial detention as a preventive measure. Shota Tutberidze, the defendants' lawyer, criticized Judge Aleksandre Iashvili's decision as unfounded.
The prosecutor's office has charged Abashidze and Iashvili with invasion of privacy. Additionally, Abashidze faces charges related to the illegal purchase and possession of ammunition, which he denies.
Much of the court session was held behind closed doors, and a nondisclosure agreement was signed between the prosecutor's office and the defense. Consequently, details of the case beyond the state's official indictment remain unknown at this stage.
During the portion of the session open to journalists, Abashidze described feeling humiliated and subjected to a cynical attitude by the police during the search.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a video after the arrest claiming to show weapons seized from Abashidze's house. Abashidze is a member of the Airsoft Federation, a sport involving toy guns and biodegradable plastic bullets. His family contends that all confiscated weapons, except for two officially registered firearms, were "toys".