Protest of Saralidze and Machalikashvili Escalates in Tbilisi
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, November 12
Saturday evening protest rally in support of Zaza Saralidze, father of the murdered teen Davit, and Malkhaz Machalikashvili, whose son was killed in anti-terrorist operation in December, escalated and turned into a physical confrontation when the police tried to hinder protesters while they were setting up the tents at the old building of the parliament.
Saralidze, whose health has been fragile following a hunger-strike, collapsed during the scuffle with the police and was hospitalized along with his mother, who became unwell before Saralidze. Other protesters stayed on to continue the rally.
Later on, Saralidze managed to recover and return to the rally and joined the protesters. He said the police wanted to disperse the rally because Rustaveli Avenue is the area of main Christmas and New Year activities, adding the protesters will not change the location.
“Either the authorities have to attack us or they should hold responsible all the people who are guilty in forging the case of my son’s murder. They have only these two options,” Saralidze told media.
Meanwhile, Malkhaz Machalikashvili says the rallies in front of the parliament building will continue. He called for a fair and transparent investigation into his son’s case.
“The rallies will continue. We will not leave this territory. We call on people to join us,” he added.
16 tents including 3 tents of NGOs are put up at Rustaveli Avenue at present. The NGOs say the actions of the police confirmed the practice of selective justice, which creates unequal conditions for the citizens of Georgia.
The NGOs were allowed to put up tents while Zaza Saralidze and Malkhaz Machalikashvili were refused to do so.
Moreover, an online petition was also launched in support of Machalikashvili and Saralidze. “I refuse a Christmas tree; I choose a human!” – is the slogan of the petition which has already been signed by hundreds of people.
The petition authors point out that if the authorities and the government of Tbilisi force the public to make a choice between the crushed human right and a Christmas tree, they choose a human.
Tbilisi City Hall released a statement regarding the recent development. The statement reads that the process at Rustaveli Avenue was differently evaluated by politicians and media.
“The New Year events planned for December have nothing to do with recent developments on Rustaveli Avenue…The events planned by Tbilisi City Hall are directed only for the city’s prosperity and not for splitting the society and confronting the people,” the Mayor’s Office says.
Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia told reporters that the police had specific information about destabilization and therefore acted in accordance with interests of citizens.
“As soon as we saw the growing danger of escalation and the risk of destabilization, we took an action,” he noted.
However, as Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International – Georgia said, it is unclear what the Minister of Internal Affairs means by ‘destabilization’.
“A selective and inefficient justice and the use of police for fulfillment of unlawful tasks trigger destabilization in the country,” she stressed.
