Police Arrest 39 Activists

A total of 39 protesters were arrested in an incident that took place outside the Tbilisi police headquarters on June 15, Eka Zguladze, the deputy interior minister, said.

She said that the Interior Ministry would request the court to fine and release most of the arrested activists. But in several cases the Interior Ministry would seek sending of some activists to jail for a month, she added.

Zguladze said that although protesters were blocking the street outside the Tbilisi police headquarters, that would not have become a reason for dispersing the rally. She said that the police decided to intervene after the law enforcement officers identified among protesters three persons, who were wanted by the police in connection with the June 12 incident outside the Parliament.

She said that when the police tried to arrest three wanted activists, protesters resisted which grew into the clash.

In an initial written statement after the incident, the Interior Ministry said that “the opposition supporters blocked the main entrance and the road. Police tried to unblock the entrance and the road, while the protesters resisted police officers”.

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