Opposition Activists Released after being Fined

Eight activists from National Council, a coalition of Movement for Fair Georgia, Conservative Party and Party of People, were detained after a scuffle with the police on April 8.

One of them, a political secretary of Party of People, Alexander Shalamberidze, was released after “a verbal reprimand” for violation of public order. Seven others were released after the court fined them with GEL 400 each.

The incident in the suburb of Tbilisi, Digomi, started when National Council leaders, including Zurab Nogaideli of Movement for Fair Georgia; Koba Davitashvili of Party of People and Zviad Dzidziguri of Conservative Party, accompanied by their respective party activists failed to obtain their election campaign-related materials from a printing house. The printing house was sealed up, allegedly by tax service and its entrance was sealed off by the police, which barred National Council leaders and activists from entering into the printing house.

After that the opposition activists, which claimed that the authorities sealed up the printing house deliberately to obstruct National Council’s election campaign, tried to block traffic on nearby street, but the police intervened triggering a minor scuffle between the police and activists.

Zurab Nogaideli, ex-PM and leader of Movement for Fair Georgia, said the incident demonstrated once again the authorities attempts “to terrorize” opposition activists ahead of May 30 local elections.

“But no one will be able to frighten us… We will destroy these authorities,” Nogaideli said.

The National Council complained for number of times recently that the authorities were targeting printing houses where the National Council was printing its election-related materials.

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