23 December 2018, 10:39
Defence appeals against Kirkitadze's arrest in Gurdjaani
The advocates of David Kirkitadze, an activist of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party, suspected of attacking a policeman, have filed an appeal against the court's ruling to arrest him. The persecution of Kirkitadze evidences the authorities' plans to put pressure on the opposition, the Alliance "Strength in Unity" believes.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that David Kirkitadze, a UNM member, was arrested in connection with the investigation into clashes between the opposition and the police on December 16. On December 20, oppositionists held a protest outside the courthouse after the court ruled to leave Kirkitadze in custody.
On December 16, the inauguration of Salome Zurabishvili, the new President of Georgia, took place in Telavi. Oppositionists planned to hold a protest action in Telavi and took cars to go there, but were stopped by the police. Clashes occurred between the police and the protesters.
The defence has turned to the appellate court, demanding to annul Kirkitadze's arrest. "This ruling is based on double standards – on the same fact and under the same article, the court has released another detainee on bail," Alexander Mgeladze, one of Kirkitadze's advocates, said on air of the "Rustavi-2" Georgian TV Company on December 22.
"First of all, Kirkitadze was detained because in Rustavi, where he comes from, after two rounds of presidential election, opposition was the winner. He is one of the most active oppositional leaders; and he most actively defended the rights of the people who participated in the peaceful demonstration," Grigol Vashadze, one of the leaders of the opposition, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 22, 2018 at 02:20 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Inna Kukudzhanova Source: CK correspondent
