"European Georgia" condemns detention of UNM activist

The oppositional "European Georgia" Party has called on the authorities not to deprive the detained activist David Kirkitadze of his freedom, treating the violation of the right to assembly as one of the evidences of a deep political crisis.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 17, in Gurdjaani, Georgian law enforcers detained David Kirkitadze, a member of the "United National Movement" (UNM) Party within the investigation of the clashes of the opposition with the police on December 16.

David Kirkitadze is suspected of assaulting a policeman, beating him up and damaging his property. According to the Criminal Code of Georgia, the oppositionist could face a fine, house arrest for a period from six months to two years, or imprisonment for a term of two-five years, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The parliamentary oppositional "European Georgia" Party has condemned the detention of the UNM activist. Oppositionists should treat Kirkitadze's detention not as a persecution of an individual, but as an authorities' message to all the dissentients, Giorgi Bokeriya, an MP and one of the leaders of the "European Georgia", has stated at today's briefing.

Mr Bokeriya has noted that his party is not taking the side of Kirkitadze or the UNM, however, "the Ivanishvili's regime leads the country into a deep political deadlock," by restricting the freedom of assembly, falsifying elections, resorting to violence and violating the principles of the rule of law.

He urged the authorities not to deprive Kirkitadze of freedom, since placing the activist into custody "will further complicate the situation."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 17, 2018 at 08:54 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.