TBILISI, July 27 – Ten people were detained Sunday night, at a political protest outside the Tbilisi city assembly building on Freedom Square.
Interpressnews first reported the detention of Tornike Toshkhua around 10pm in the evening, while holding a banner with an obscene message about Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the governing Georgian Dream party.
Toshkhua was detained on the basis of the administrative law, a fast track public order mechanism based on Soviet law.
An hour later, the news agency carried a report that several more activists had been detained.
Monday morning, Interpressnews reported that according to lawyer Marika Arevadze, writing in social media, ten people had been detained at the protest, with detainees placed in temporary holding cells at Sagarejo, Gurjaani and Dusheti.
Following fast track administrative procedures, trials will take place today or tomorrow.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the ten are detained on the basis of “holding banners with offensive content,” according to Interpressnews, with charges based on articles 166 and 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, referring to petty hooliganism and resisting law enforcement officers.
