Protesters took to the streets of Georgia on Sunday with thousands of opposition supporters rallying in Tbilisi following accusations that the nation’s government is backsliding on democracy. Huge crowds gathered in front of the Georgian parliament for a rally organised by the country’s main opposition force, the United National Movement (UNM). Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s ex-president and founder of the party, is currently in jail.
Protesters waved Georgian, Ukrainian and European Union flags and held a huge banner that read “For European future.”
People could be heard chanting “Long live Misha!”, referring to Saakashvili. The former president is currently serving a six-year jail term for abuse of power. However, international rights groups say that the charge is politically motivated.
Addressing the rally, UNM chairman Levan Khabeishvili said that the protesters demand the “liberation of political prisoners.” He added that they want reforms asked for by the EU as a condition for granting Tbilisi a formal candidate status be implemented.
“(The) Georgian government is being controlled from Moscow and our obligation is to save our homeland from Russian stooges,” former Georgian president Giorgi Margvelashvili told the crowd.
“We are freedom-loving people, part of the European family, we reject Russian slavery.”
Just a day back, Saakashvili said that he is dying in the prison and blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for his situation. He also accused Georgia’s ruling party of its “increasing solidarity with Russia”. Doctors say that the pro-Western reformer has developed a string of serious conditions in custody and is facing death due to them.
In a Politico op-ed, he wrote, “I am now dying. I have been systematically tortured, physically and psychologically, and there is currently evidence of heavy metal poisoning in my body. I now suffer from a bewildering array of over 20 serious illnesses, all of which developed in confinement.”
Georgian Dream party’s government is accused of jailing opponents and silencing independent media. Critics also say that it is covertly collaborating with the Kremlin and leading the country astray from its EU membership path.
Just last month, Georgia was engulfed by protests after parliament gave initial backing to a draft law “on foreign agents”, similar to the legislation used in Russia to suppress dissent. The EU and the US slammed the bill and it was dropped under pressure from street protests that saw police use tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds.
(With inputs from agencies)
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
