Opposition parties, behind the ongoing street rallies, demanded from the authorities to immediately release protesters arrested in connection to the clash that erupted between the police and participants of the demonstration outside the Parliament late on May 28.

In a joint statement released on May 29, the opposition parties also demanded from the authorities to deploy only uniformed police officers to protect public order at the protest venues.

“The authorities staged yet another provocation against its own people on May 28,” the statement reads. “Several dozen of persons in plain clothes with senior police officers among them triggered hand-to-hand fight with protesters; several citizens were seriously injured as a result.”

“The Interior Ministry is again misleading the society and is stating, that protesters attacked policemen. Several protesters have been arrested, who, even if participated in the incident, could not have committed this crime because they could not know that plain-cloth assailants were policemen. Hence, citizens arrested on false charges should immediately be released and an objective investigation should be conducted.”

The Interior Ministry said on May 29 that it arrested two protesters, who “participated in assault on police officers.”

“Because of number of provocations carried out by the authorities since April 9… we demand uniformed policemen with special identification numbers to take duties of protection public order during the protest rallies. At the same time, in order to prevent misunderstanding between uniformed policemen and protesters, representatives of the organizers of the protest rallies are ready to protect public order along with police officers.”

“We appeal to the international community to provide efficient assistance to the Georgian people, which is fighting for freedom and democracy, in setting [the country] free from the Saakashvili’s regime, which is purposefully leading the country towards chaos and bloodshed.”