Protests by opponents of the "Georgian Dream" continue in Tbilisi

Supporters of Georgia's Eurointegration held a protest in Tbilisi for the 631st consecutive day. Political prisoner Zviad Tsetskhladze reported systematic abuse of prisoners in jails.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 19, the 630th day of protests, activists gathered in Tbilisi near the parliament building and the city council building. Nana Sander, convicted in the case of the attempted storming of the presidential palace in Tbilisi, reported restrictions on phone calls.

Activists with flags of Georgia, the European Union, and the USA gathered today at the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue for the 631st evening in a row. Participants of the action voiced their unchanged demands: to free all political prisoners, to repeal repressive laws, to return Georgia to a Euro-Atlantic course, and to hold free elections, reports Publika.

The action took place in a calm atmosphere, with demonstrators peacefully communicating with each other on the sidewalk and under the walls of the parliament. At least 100 people participated in the gathering, according to video recordings published on Facebook* by users Giorgi Jibla and Nikoloz Tkhemaladze.

The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia commented today on the information regarding the restriction of rights of political prisoner Nana Sander, calling the activists' data "inaccurate." According to the agency, in the closed section of women's facility No. 5, prisoners are provided with 75 minutes of phone calls per month, and Sander has already exhausted her allotted limit of phone calls for August, informs Tbilisi_life.

Leader of the student movement Dafioni, political prisoner Zviad Tsetskhladze, in another letter from prison, reported systematic inhumane treatment that prisoners are subjected to in jails. According to the activist, "the system is absolutely dehumanized, aimed at deliberately breaking and destroying people."

"There were five of us in a cell designed for four people when on August 19, a sixth prisoner was brought to us in extremely serious condition. The man with a broken leg was initially carried in without crutches. He jumped into our cell on one leg because the other leg was wrapped in a cast, and he was forbidden to put weight on it for the next month and a half. Although we provided him with the lower bunk and did everything we could, given our limited resources, we cannot provide him with medical assistance. The man is experiencing physical difficulties, cannot wash himself or use the toilet independently," Tsetskhladze wrote, in particular.

He added that the injured prisoner was later "given an empty pillow and mattress" without bedding, as there is "physically less bedding than prisoners" in the facility.

"Along with all this, the man was placed in prison with severe psychological trauma. It turned out that in the pre-trial detention center, his injured leg was not bandaged at all, and he spent several days in that condition. The leg was bandaged only after being transferred to prison, and he was kept in quarantine for several days in terrible conditions: cockroaches everywhere on the walls, puddles from rain in the cell, a damaged sewage pipe, a terrible smell, rats crawling around. It is physically impossible to find a clean place to sit," the activist's letter is quoted by Pirveli.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Law enforcement has conducted harsh dispersals of protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detaining protesters. During the protests, thousands of people have faced administrative prosecution. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "Main points on the persecution of protest participants in Georgia".