The Daily Beat: 12 February
Protests continue across Georgia for the 77th consecutive day as citizens in various cities and towns demand a rerun of the elections and the release of those they consider unjustly detained. On Wednesday evening, protesters gathered outside the Public Broadcaster and later marched towards the Parliament building, blocking Rustaveli Avenue. For more updates on anti-regime resistance, follow our live blog.
During a speech in parliament, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard criticized the Georgian authorities for undermining the European Union’s values and principles. She stated that violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable and called for sanctions against those responsible for such actions. Additionally, she reaffirmed Sweden’s commitment to supporting democratic and pro-European movements in Georgia.
The German Embassy in Tbilisi issued a statement addressing the legal proceedings against protesters, highlighting what it sees as intimidation tactics and unequal treatment of demonstrators and law enforcement representatives. “It appears that people exercising their fundamental rights are [intentionally] being intimidated,” the statement said. According to the statement, “no serious investigation of the violations committed by state structures has yet been conducted.”
Seven organizations have separated from the Council of Ethnic Minorities, a consultative platform that has long represented the needs and advocated for the rights of minority communities in Georgia. They cited a “deadlock” in the Council’s operations and established a new organization called the Council for Ethnic Diversity. This split occurred after months of internal conflict amid allegations of government attempts to take control of the Council.
The legal team, comprising the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) and the BLB law firm, plans to file a petition with the court to request the lifting of pre-trial detention for Mzia Amaghlobeli, the director of Batumelebi/Netgazeti. They argue that the charges against her are legally unfounded, politically motivated, and intended to intimidate the journalist. Amaghlobeli has been on a hunger strike for over 32 days and continues to experience a deterioration in her health as she awaits trial.
The Supreme Council of Adjara has terminated the mandates of six deputies from three opposition political groups: the Coalition for Change, the United National Movement (UNM)-Unity, and Strong Georgia. These deputies requested the termination of their mandates because they believed the results of the October 26 elections, which led to the formation of the Supreme Council, were illegitimate.