Seven Protesters Fined and Released

Police arrested on January 28 seven participants of a protest rally, who were gathered outside the Parliament in Tbilisi to mark sixth anniversary of Sandro Girgvliani murder.

Few dozen activists from opposition youth groups were rallying to call for credible investigation into this high-profile murder over which allegations persist that the investigation covered up possible links of Interior Ministry senior officials to the murder case.

At first protesters were gathered outside the Parliament on a pedestrian walkway, but then moved on a traffic lane and briefly blocked the traffic on the Rustaveli Avenue; police intervened, pushed protesters back on the pedestrian walkway and arrested one of the protesters. Later protesters again moved on a traffic lane and when they were walking along the white center double line, policemen, some in uniform and some in plainclothes, grabbed several protesters and took them away in police cars.

An interior ministry’s spokesperson said seven participants of the rally were detained for petty hooliganism and disobedience to police orders – charges which under the code of administrative offenses may result into either fine or imprisonment for maximum of 90 days.

Late on January 28 the Tbilisi City Court found all seven guilty, fined six of them with GEL 400 each and one with GEL 500 and released them from the court room.