Tbilisi activists demand to free Chkhartishvili

Opposition activists have held a protest action in front of the "Georgian Dream" Party office in Tbilisi against the arrest of Lasha Chkhartishvili, a member of the Labour Party.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 29, a court decided to place the activists, detained at the protest action held at the chancellery of the Georgian government and accused of petty hooliganism and disobeying the police, under administrative arrest. In particular, a Labour Lasha Chkhartishvili was arrested for eight days and fined after his dispute with the judge.

On December 1, Lasha's supporters gathered near the office of the "Georgian Dream" Party, demanding to set him free. To demonstrate their solidarity, they threw 41 beans onto the ground near the office, explaining that 41 is the "Georgian Dream" Party's number in ballot papers. Thus, oppositionists have shown that "the ruling party had fallen in voters' eyes," Nika Memanishvili, Lasha Chkhartishvili's friend, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Lasha Chkhartishvili was convicted only because he threw several bean grains into the air. A person shouldn't be put in jail for throwing beans; it's is a gross violation of human rights," Mr Memanishvili has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 1, 2019 at 03:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.