Opposition supporters wave Georgian, Ukrainian and EU flags. One banner reads “For a European future”.
Thousands of people demonstrated against the government in Tbilisi, Georgia. Opposition supporters rallied outside parliament in the capital on Sunday, waving Georgian, Ukrainian and EU flags. One banner read “For a European future”. The country’s biggest opposition party, the United National Movement of jailed former president Mikhail Saakashvili, called the protest.
“Viva Mischa,” the protesters chanted. Saakashvili was arrested in late 2021 on charges of abuse of power when he returned to his homeland after a long exile, which he spent mostly in Ukraine. He is serving a six-year sentence and faces death threats, sleep deprivation and physical abuse in custody.
Protesters on Sunday demanded the release of all political prisoners and the implementation of reforms demanded by the EU to gain candidate country status. The small ex-Soviet republic actually intends to join the EU and NATO. Recently, however, several government measures have fueled fears that the country could turn to Russia. The ruling party, the Georgian Dream, has an absolute majority in parliament.
(APA/AFP)