The Daily Beat: 10 March
As spring arrives, popular protests across Georgia persist after a long and challenging winter, during which repression has only intensified. On the 103rd consecutive day of pro-EU demonstrations, protesters carrying large anti-tyranny banners have gathered on Rustaveli Avenue, near the Parliament, again blocking the traffic on the avenue. Stay updated on the Georgian resistance by following our live blog.
The Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film University revoked the student status of several protesters on March 10, a day after they were fined GEL 5,000 (approximately $1,800) for demonstrating inside the university building. Nationwide anti-government protests in Georgia have been ongoing for over 100 days, with university students actively participating, particularly at the Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film University, which is central to the resistance movement.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the leader of the GD parliamentary majority, reiterated the Kremlin’s narrative by stating that the “Deep State” and global forces have conducted a proxy war against Russia through Ukraine. He asserted that Georgia faced consequences for refusing to engage in this “pre-written scenario.” Additionally, he claimed that the “puppet” governments of EU member states had assumed the role of the “deep state” and were attempting to “overthrow the Georgian government.”
Tbilisi City Court Judge Giorgi Gelashvili sentenced Giorgi Bachiashvili, former head of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s co-investment fund, to 11 years in prison in absentia for cryptocurrency misappropriation and money laundering. Bachiashvili called the verdict “Shameful” and stated on social media that he had fled Georgia, claiming he was forced to leave and accused Ivanishvili and judicial officials of orchestrating his persecution.
A report by TV Pirveli has revealed disturbing details of psychological and physical abuse allegedly perpetrated by officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) against Giorgi Kukhaleishvili, a former employee of the Ministry of Defense and a reserve sergeant in the Georgian armed forces. Kukhaleishvili, a veteran of the August 2008 war, claims that MIA officials attempted to coerce him into providing false statements regarding an attack on TV Pirveli journalist Maka Chikhladze and cameraman Giorgi Shetsiruli, aiming to implicate the opposition in the incident.
The Interview of the Day
“It would be naïve to expect Russia to make mutually beneficial agreements; any such deals would ultimately be at our expense,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna in an interview with Civil.ge. He also emphasized that dignity, values, and the future of democracy are at stake in Georgia. Tsahkna reminded the Georgian people that both Georgians and Estonians have historically fought to liberate themselves from authoritarian regimes, standing shoulder to shoulder and motivating one another in their struggles. For the full interview, click here.