Russian Citizens in Georgia Commemorate Alexei Navalny
On February 16 and 17, dozens of Russians in Georgia commemorated the death in a Russian colony of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian anti-corruption activist, fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a political prisoner who was jailed since 2021. The rallies were held in Tbilisi and Batumi.
On February 16, a rally of Russian citizens was reported in Tbilisi. “Putin is a thief and a killer,” demonstrators were heard saying in a video circulated on the Internet. Russian citizens gathered near the former Russian Embassy in Tbilisi and displayed protest signs, including ones that read “Putin is a killer” and “Alexei, we won’t give up.”
On the same day, a rally was also held in Batumi, a coastal Georgian city that became one of the main destinations in Georgia for Russians who left the country after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “Freedom for political prisoners,” the protesters chanted.
The Russian citizens mourning Alexei Navalny also gathered near the Russian Embassy building in Tbilisi on February 17.
The President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili reacted to Navalny’s death on February 16 in a tweet saying his “death is a tragedy for all democracy and human rights defenders. My condolences to his family and those who in Russia continue his fight for democracy.” Asked about Navalny’s death, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia from the ruling Georgian Dream party, Shalva Papuashvili, said that he “cannot have a comment on this issue.”
Also Read:
- 04/02/2022 – Georgian Dream MP Lashes Out at Deported Russian Opposition Leader
- 30/10/2021 – Key Navalny Ally Was Refused Entry to Georgia -Report
- 03/09/2020 – Georgia Joins EU Statement on Navalny Poisoning
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
