President-elect Mikheil Saakashvili today condemned the arrest of the activists of the youth movement Kmara (Enough), calling this fact a political persecution.
“We will never permit political persecution of people. I hope, Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze will ensure that these persons are released as soon as possible,” Saakashvili said at a news briefing on January 10.
The President-elect stressed the importance of holding a dialogue with the Adjarian leader.
The Kmara activists were arrested in Adjara on January 6 after they started to post banners in the streets of the Adjarian capital of Batumi with the slogans “Enough to Abashidze’s Dictatorship.”
However, the Adjarian Interior Ministry ruled out political repressions on the opponents and explained its decision by finding out drugs and explosives in the apartments of the Kmara activists. The Adjarian court has already sentenced the Kmara activists to three-month pretrial detention.