The News in Brief
Monday, December 25, 2023
Prepared by Messenger Staff
Protesters Rally in Tbilisi Demanding Free School Meals
On December 23, a protest march took place in Tbilisi, where participants demanded free school meals in Georgia. Named the "March against Hunger," the demonstration commenced at The First Classical Gymnasium on Rustaveli Avenue and concluded at the Ministry of Education. The Voice movement organized the protest, advocating for free school meals since 2021. They aspire to gather 25,000 signatures to bring this issue to the forefront of discussion.
"This march is just the beginning; our meeting today marks the start of our journey to all Georgian cities, with your help and alongside you. We aim to collect 25,000 signatures, and for this, we will travel across the entire country with your support. Our goal is to keep this issue on the agenda and make it a topic of discussion wherever it is needed.
Are we naive to believe that free school meals will commence in all Georgian schools by September? Our goal is to initiate and ensure the irreversibility of this process starting in September. We seek your support wherever you are-stand by this cause wherever you can. Together, let's see it through to the end and create a new, better life horizon," said Giorgi Khasaia.
Saakashvili Alleges Transfer Demand Aims to Silence His Communication
In response to the 'For Georgia' party's request to transfer him from the clinic to the penitentiary, Georgia's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, denounced members of the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia's team as 'deprived of humanity' and wrote that 80% of his symptoms have not gone anywhere, and the government knows this very well.
The former president suggested that the underlying motive behind this request was to deprive him of the opportunity to communicate. Nevertheless, he noted that the administration will be obliged to bring him to court sessions from Rustavi prison, providing him with a platform where he can "speak even more freely."
"The primary source of irritation for this creature is my regained ability to speak. They aim to transfer me to Rustavi prison precisely due to the significant chance of my condition worsening sharply, reverting to the state I was in a few months ago. This transfer poses a risk of extreme limitation of medical attention," Saakashvili said.
Protesters Rally in Tbilisi Demanding Free School Meals
"This march is just the beginning; our meeting today marks the start of our journey to all Georgian cities, with your help and alongside you. We aim to collect 25,000 signatures, and for this, we will travel across the entire country with your support. Our goal is to keep this issue on the agenda and make it a topic of discussion wherever it is needed.
Are we naive to believe that free school meals will commence in all Georgian schools by September? Our goal is to initiate and ensure the irreversibility of this process starting in September. We seek your support wherever you are-stand by this cause wherever you can. Together, let's see it through to the end and create a new, better life horizon," said Giorgi Khasaia.
Saakashvili Alleges Transfer Demand Aims to Silence His Communication
The former president suggested that the underlying motive behind this request was to deprive him of the opportunity to communicate. Nevertheless, he noted that the administration will be obliged to bring him to court sessions from Rustavi prison, providing him with a platform where he can "speak even more freely."
"The primary source of irritation for this creature is my regained ability to speak. They aim to transfer me to Rustavi prison precisely due to the significant chance of my condition worsening sharply, reverting to the state I was in a few months ago. This transfer poses a risk of extreme limitation of medical attention," Saakashvili said.