The Daily Beat: 22 December
The leaders of the pro-Russian party “Conservative Movement,” Zurab Makharadze and Irakli Martinenko, tore down the EU flag from the Tbilisi City Hall building and burned it on the spot without any interference. Pro-Russian activists explained their action as an expression of solidarity with Lasha Sharukhia, who also tore down the EU flag from the Mtskheta Municipality building and was sent into custody on charges of damaging the state property, now facing 3 to 6 years imprisonment. After burning the EU flag, Makharadze and Martinenko calmly called the Patrol Police, who fined both of them on administrative charges. In support of Lasha Sharukhia, Georgian priests launched a public campaign a few days ago, releasing a video featuring the demonstrative burning of EU flags.
The Media Advocacy Coalition, a press freedom watchdog, issued a statement criticizing the recent decision of Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to cancel several of its popular TV programs. According to the Media Coalition, the cancellation of the TV programs without a proper explanation reinforces the suspicions that GPB is under the influence of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party and that it is “not fulfilling its mission to be a politically neutral, objective and unbiased media, and is unprepared for the 2024 parliamentary elections.”
Speaking at the press briefing in the party office, the Georgian Dream chair, Irakli Kobakhidze, expressed confidence that Georgia will join the EU earlier than Ukraine and Moldova, citing Georgia’s higher level of readiness. Irakli Kobakhidze believes that Georgia deserves the opening of EU accession talks in 2024 but considers it a political issue and looks forward to a fair decision whether in 2024 or 2025.
The ruling Georgian Dream party is readying for a party conference scheduled for December 30 and is set to update the composition of the political council, the party’s supreme ruling body. According to the Georgian Dream chair, Irakli Kobakhidze, the composition of the party’s political council will decrease from 20 to 15 members, and the former Parliament Speaker, Kakha Kuchava, and former Health Minister, Ekaterine Tikaradze won’t be included in the renewed political council.
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), the Tbilisi City Court heard the case of eleven persons arrested on November 15 near the Environment Ministry during the rally against the alienation of the Racha forests involving Russia-linked businessman Davit Khidasheli. GYLA reported that the case of the three detainees, two of whom were represented by GYLA, was dismissed by the court for lack of evidence of a crime.
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