Youth groups, mostly university students, continue to protest against prison abuse in Georgia. One of the organizers was released after being fined. (Mari Nikuradze.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Youth continue to protest against prison abuse in Tbilisi. Thursday there was no large scale protest but different groups of students gathered at different places to express their protest to various government bodies.

The seven people who were on hunger strike at the House of Justice today decided to join the rallies as their three days protest was completely ignored by the government, which instead of taking normal actions takes serious actions arresting innocent people.

Yesterday night the police arrested Sandro Tsagareli, one of the rally participants who is a member of Laboratoria 1918, one of the youth organizations which have organized recent student rallies.

Witnesses say that when the concert was about to end at Tbilisi State University at night, Sandro was planning to go home and stopped a taxi, but the police forced him into a car. He was brought to Tbilisi City Court, which fined him with 400 lari.

His lawyers say the trial was not objective, as the court only listened to what the police said, but didn’t take into consideration evidence like video footage, or other requests by the defense.

Sandro says that when he was arrested, the police themselves were trying to define why they arrested him.

Today, he was released, after which he said that he will continue the protesting. Sandro joined members of Laboratoria 1918 who today gathered at Tbilisi State University and moved to the office of the UN shouting ‘system should be destroyed.’

Students say large scale protests will continue. They call on the West and the USA to admit that the current government is violent after seeing video footage showing torture at prisons.

Their demands are the same: to punish all engaged in these terrible actions.

Tomorrow’s rally also starts at 15:00 at Tbilisi State University.