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- Dream against the street: Georgian authorities are increasing pressure on the opposition
Dream against the street: Georgian authorities are increasing pressure on the opposition
The Georgian authorities have decided to put an end to the street protests that have been taking place daily in the center of Tbilisi for a year. Recently, a law was passed according to which, for blocking streets, instead of a fine, arrest for a period of 15 days is threatened, and repeated violation will result in a criminal case. Izvestia investigated the situation.
Protest on the sidewalk
This fall, the confrontation between the government and the opposition escalated in Georgia. The main episode was the local elections that took place on October 4. At that time, the ruling Georgian Dream party won in all municipalities, won a landslide majority in all city and district assemblies, and its representatives became mayors of major cities.
The opposition had been calling for a "peaceful overthrow of power" long before that day, and as a result, a large rally gathered in Tbilisi on the evening of October 4. The participants first blocked the central Rustaveli Avenue, and then tried to attack the presidential palace. It all ended in clashes with security forces, who used water cannons and tear gas.
In the end, no "peaceful overthrow" took place, and the whole situation gave the authorities a reason to go on the offensive against their opponents. In mid-October, the Georgian parliament accelerated the tightening of a number of laws related to protest actions. In particular, the participants of the rallies were forbidden to appear on the street in masks and block the streets.
These violations are now punishable by administrative arrest for a period of 15 days, although previously only a fine was provided. The organizers of such actions face 20 days. If a participant in the speeches does not comply with the requirements of the Interior Ministry staff, he will remain in the detention center for 60 days. Repeated violation in both cases involves a criminal case and imprisonment for up to a year.
The police immediately began to implement the new rules. On October 21, the Interior Ministry reported that in three days 53 violations of the law by participants in the rallies had been identified. It was noted that some of the activists have been detained, while administrative proceedings will begin against others in the near future. After that, about 30 more people were reported to have been detained.
As a result, on October 22, for the first time since November last year, the protesters were unable to block traffic on Rustaveli Avenue. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze did not hide his optimism in this regard. "Radicalism must be completely destroyed. It is unacceptable that 50 radicals rape 1.7 million people living in Tbilisi," he said.
From dawn to prohibition
A parallel plot is the investigation of the October 4 riots. Following the events, the police detained more than 60 people, including five organizers of the rally. Several more defendants have been identified, but they are located abroad. This includes former Interior Ministry employee Irakli Shaishmelashvili, who lives in the United States, but constantly calls for rallies and gives advice on how to behave properly in clashes with security forces.
At the same time, the ruling party is extremely outraged that the European structures not only did not condemn the opposition because of the riots, but also do not stop speaking out about the abuse of authority by the police. "Brussels must return to fundamental European values and abandon support for violence as a tool for achieving political goals," says Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.
Another important story is that the authorities are preparing to ban several parties, among them the largest opposition United National Movement (UNM), which was founded by former President Mikhail Saakashvili. The reason is the conclusion of a special commission of inquiry that investigated crimes committed by the ruling team in 2003-2012, including the 2008 war.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze says a corresponding lawsuit will be filed with the Constitutional Court by the end of October. "The only opponent of the ruling team is the criminal political force represented by the collective national Movement. In such conditions, a full-fledged democratic system is, of course, impossible. Therefore, we need to improve the political processes," he explains.
On October 16, the Georgian Parliament has already taken an important step in this direction. Lawmakers approved amendments according to which, in case of a ban on any party, its members are deprived of the right to be elected to parliament or local government bodies. "Such individuals will also have limited rights to hold senior positions in government institutions, and they will not be able to join other parties," said MP Archil Gorduladze.
Interestingly, the prospects of the lawsuit looked vague until the last moment. The fact is that in order to consider the ban on political parties, the participation of all judges of the Constitutional Court is necessary, but now one is missing. It was not possible to elect a new one, because there were only 89 deputies from the ruling party in parliament. On October 20, however, it became known that the Gakharia for Georgia party was refusing to boycott, taking into account their 12 mandates, a new judge could still be appointed.
Against this background, the opposition says that other restrictions may follow in the future. "We may be banned from leaving the country and appearing on television. If we participate in the broadcasts, then heavy fines will be imposed on these TV channels. Perhaps they will impose various types of sanctions and eventually begin to detain people who do not comply with these norms," says UNM Chairman Tina Bokuchava.
What the experts say
Georgian political analyst Zaal Andjaparidze believes that the ban on political parties will hurt opponents of the ruling team.
— Now we are talking about the fact that about ten associations will be outlawed. Among them are the UNM, as well as those forces that were affiliated with it at various times. I don't think anything will prevent the ban. The question is what will happen next in the country. Nevertheless, in the last parliamentary elections, these parties received about 800,000 votes in total. It is clear that supporters will take the decision negatively, although a minority is ready to take to the streets and protest. The authorities seem to think they can handle the situation," he argues.
Archil Sikharulidze, founder of the SIKHA Foundation Research Institute, says that the Georgian authorities have all the arguments to ban opposition forces.
— We saw an attempted coup on October 4th. The UNM openly supported those events, and Murtaz Zodelava, the former Prosecutor General of the country during the Saakashvili era, was at the head of the action. It is quite logical that now these forces should be punished. I don't think the opposition will interfere with this decision in any way, it is completely defeated and in a deplorable state. I would advise other parties that are not currently facing a ban to dissociate themselves from the UNM, because this is their only chance to survive," he emphasizes.
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