Translated material
Under the rain of rubber bullets
Georgian opposition celebrates first victory and counts the wounded
The Georgian non-parliamentary opposition continues mass protests. In three days, the oppositionists are even going to implement their plan to block highways leading to Tbilisi. Opponents of Mikheil Saakashvili's regime should have done this a few days ago. However, the plan had to be postponed due to the unclear situation surrounding an attempted military mutiny at one of the bases near the Georgian capital.The opposition is not retreating, despite the dramatic events that unfolded in front of the main police headquarters in Tbilisi on the night of May 7. Here, dozens of people were injured during a clash with the police. Many in Georgia were shocked by the footage of these clashes, which were accompanied by beatings and shooting at protesters (the police used rubber bullets). Despite the difficult political situation, preparations for the NATO Partnership for Peace exercises continue in Georgia. Headquarters exercises have already been taking place at the Vaziani base since May 6, and military field exercises will begin a week later.
Opposition leaders spoke about their plans yesterday at a rally held on Rustaveli Avenue in front of parliament. Thousands of people listened to them in the pouring rain. "Our struggle will continue until Saakashvili's resignation," said opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze. Representative of the National Forum Irakli Melashvili announced the opposition’s readiness to meet with President Saakashvili, but warned that if he does not make a decision within a few days, the opposition will begin to block highways throughout the country.
The opposition intends to hold a new large-scale demonstration demanding the resignation of the president and holding early presidential elections on May 9, a month after the start of street protests. The leader of the Georgian Way political movement, former Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili called for a “new huge wave of protest” to be raised on this day.
The opposition believes that it is already seeking concessions from the authorities. The General Secretary of the movement “For a United Georgia” Eka Beselia called May 6 “victory day”. On this day, the first most serious clashes between the opposition and the police occurred after November 7, 2007 . As a result of the confrontation with the police, the opposition “recaptured” three of its activists: members of the April 9 youth organization Melor Vachnadze and Giorgi Oniani, as well as their younger ally, 15-year-old Revaz Revazishvili. They were detained for beating a pro-government television journalist. This happened during the picketing of the Public Television building. They were released on bail yesterday morning although they are yet to appear in court in the future.
The authorities satisfied the opposition’s demand, although they did so not directly, but in response to the request of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, who called on law enforcement agencies to make a political decision and release three young people to defuse an explosive situation.
The released oppositionists confirmed the information that the police brutally beat them with rubber truncheons and machine gun butts. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, in turn, reported that the activists suffered “physical injuries” even before their arrest.
Despite the rally of thousands, yesterday turned out to be calmer compared to the massacre on the evening of May 6. Both the authorities and the opposition tried not to escalate the situation. The authorities and the opposition assess what happened differently, of course. Mr. Saakashvili's opponents dubbed these events the “second November 7,” recalling November 7, 2007, when the government brutally dispersed mass opposition rallies using special means. Oppositionists believe that the police actions against the May 6 demonstrators were “a crime against their own people.”
Politicians from the ruling party regard the opposition rally in front of the police headquarters as an attempt to storm a state institution. This is the opinion of the leader of the parliamentary majority, Petre Tsiskarishvili, who warns that “not a single state, including Georgia, will allow an attempt to storm a state institution.” Deputies from parliamentary opposition parties demanded an investigation into what happened. Parliamentarian Paata Davitaya called on the government and the opposition to political responsibility and dialogue without preconditions. The leader of the Alliance for Georgia, Irakli Alasania, who is participating in the protests, believes that “the country is facing a disaster, and the violence must stop, which can only be achieved through a meeting between the authorities and the opposition.”
Opposition politicians were disappointed by the assessments of the events of May 6 by foreign diplomats accredited in Tbilisi, who were critical of the actions of the demonstrators. Some of them called the incident "criminal", saying that such problems should be resolved at the negotiating table. The diplomats expressed their opinion after they were briefed on the details of what happened the morning after the events at the Georgian Foreign Ministry.
The former speaker of parliament and one of the opposition leaders, Nino Burjanadze, found this assessment of foreign ambassadors very strange, especially since they did not even meet with the opposition leaders and had no opportunity to obtain other information about the clashes. The opposition invited the ambassadors to view the full video recording of the events. “There was no crime there, at least on the part of the opposition. The crime was committed by the authorities,” said Nino Burjanadze.
Georgian political scientist Georgiy Khutsishvili told Vremya Novostey that “the ambassadors made an obvious nod to the authorities”: “It seemed to me that they had an attitude in this regard. It seems that the opposition is now hindering Georgia’s movement towards European integration. However, it turned out that foreign ambassadors blindly repeated the rhetoric of the Georgian authorities. This is puzzling."
Oppositionists call on the international community to pay attention to the fact that the Georgian police used rubber bullets against citizens. “This is a criminal offense,” says People’s Party leader Koba Davitashvili. According to the opposition, more than 60 people were injured by police actions. Most were wounded by rubber bullets, mainly in the head area. One National Forum activist lost an eye. Protesters claim that the shooting came from the windows of the police headquarters; eyewitnesses describe it as “a rain of bullets.” Many, including Nino Burjanadze, demonstrate these bullets to journalists. Ms Burjanadze said all four of her bodyguards were wounded, as well as her eldest son. Traces of bullets and blood from the guards who covered her are visible on her jacket. Ms. Burjanadze is confident that the police targeted opposition leaders, many of whom were also wounded.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs claims that the police did not use rubber bullets. According to official information, after the clashes in front of the police headquarters, 29 people were taken to city hospitals, including 22 oppositionists, one television journalist and six police officers. The latter received wounds to the head from stones thrown by protesters. However, according to oppositionist Sozar Subari, the police also stocked up on stones. There were also direct clashes with the police, who used rubber batons in this case.
The famous Georgian bard Giorgi Gachechiladze, who climbed over the fence of the police headquarters to convey a demand for the release of three guys, was seriously injured. He has bruises on his head and broken ribs. “I was thrown to the floor and beaten with rubber batons by 20 people,” he later told reporters. Despite the injuries, after a couple of hours Gia Gachechiladze, who has been hosting the protest reality show “Camera No. 5” on the Maestro TV channel for three months, returned to the air.