Today in Tbilisi, hundreds of people gathered for a rally to support 21-year-old activist Mate Devidze, who was detained exactly one year ago during the dispersal of protests against the results of the parliamentary elections. According to "News Georgia", 15 participants of the rally were detained by law enforcement officers, reports UNN.
Details
The participants marched from Chavchavadze Avenue to the Parliament building, demanding Devidze's release and calling him a "prisoner of conscience."
During the march, some of the protesters tried to occupy the roadway of Melikishvili Avenue, but the police prevented this. The column moved to adjacent streets, where the sidewalks could not accommodate all participants. "We will block all streets, stop Georgia, and send Bidzina where he belongs – to the Kremlin," said rally participant Kakha Mikaia.
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It later became known that up to 15 people were detained at the protest action.
The arrests began when protesters occupied the roadway while marching along Kakabadze Street. Hundreds of police officers were mobilized to unblock traffic at the scene.
Soon, the demonstrators moved to the sidewalk, but arrests continued there in a rather harsh manner. The media showed footage where groups of Interior Ministry employees dragged women into police vans.
Police repeatedly called for the rally to stop. After that, the protesters headed to the Parliament of Georgia.
At this stage, it is unclear what the detainees are accused of.
Reference
Mate Devidze is a musician from Telavi. He was detained on November 19, 2024, along with 15 other participants in the action. Initially, administrative protocols were drawn up for all detainees, but later a criminal case was opened against Devidze. He was accused of assaulting a police officer: the investigation considered it an assault that the young man waved a plastic flagpole at an Interior Ministry employee.
In June, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Devidze to four years and six months in prison.