The road near the Georgian Public Broadcaster has been blocked as hundreds of protesters gathered to demand airtime and the release of the channel from the ruling party diktat. They said GBP, financed from taxpayer money, should serve the interests of the Georgian people and reflect their protest. There was a notable police presence at the building and inside of it. Gracefully, the rally ended without an incident.
The protesters held a moment of silence to honor 16-year-old Ioseb Adeishvili, who died earlier on January 25 in Tbilisi’s Rike Park in an accident, which many blame on the negligence of the city government.
Following the statements at the GBP building, the protesters marched toward Rustaveli Avenue, holding banners in support of Mzia Amaghlobeli, a detained media executive and journalist who is on hunger strike. They were chanting: “No justice, no peace,” “Hellfire to the oligarchy,” and “Fear the power of the people.”