In Batumi, protestors support detained opponents of Namakhvani HPP

Six athletes from Adjara are not guilty of clashes with the police during the protests against the construction of the Namakhvani hydroelectric power plant (HPP) and they are being prosecuted for political reasons, protesters in Batumi claim.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on April 4, opponents of the Namakhvani HPP construction on the Rioni River set up tents near the village of Gumati. The police dismantled the tents and explained their actions by the fact that the Rioni River was overflowing its banks. On April 12, the police set up a cordon, and on the other day, law enforcers installed metal barriers on the road to the village of Namakhvani to prevent the protesters from marching. At night, after the clashes between the police and opponents of the Namakhvani HPP construction, six persons were detained, and on April 17, the court arrested them.

On May 15, the “Mtavari Arkhi” TV Channel released a video about the protest action in Batumi. The video depicts dozens of people standing in the square and holding posters in their hands. One of the posters reads in Georgian and English: “Stop Political Persecution”, while the other contains photos of six persons and reads: “Freedom for Political Prisoners.”

The protesters are activists from Tbilisi and relatives of athletes from Adjara arrested after the clashes between the police and the opponents of the Namakhvani HPP construction which occurred in Gumati on April 12. Several dozen people gathered in Europe Square on May 15. They believe the suspects fell victim to a provocation. According to the protesters’ version, an unknown man approached the activists in Gumati, asked them provocative questions, and insulted them, and after that a fight broke out, the “News-Georgia” reported.

The participants of the protest action in Batumi called the criminal prosecution of the arrested athletes the “political revenge” for criticism of the government.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 16, 2021 at 00:27 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.