408
In the center of Tbilisi, the situation is escalating to a dangerous point. Mass protests against the government and its pro-Russian policy, which have been going on for 10 days, have turned into a field for skirmishes involving the so-called "mothers". Attacks on protesters and journalists raise concerns that Georgia is heading for civil conflict.
Who are the "aunties" and what happened?
Yesterday evening, on Purtseladze Street, witnesses watched as a group of people wearing masks and wearing black clothes suddenly attacked the protesters. These attackers acted quickly: they knocked people down and brutally beat them. The police, who were nearby, preferred to adhere to the principle of "non-interference".
Even in cases where reports were drawn up against the attackers, no arrests were made. Activists believe that the "uncles" were mobilized by the authorities to intimidate opponents and disperse protests.
"Boiling points" and new victims
Eyewitnesses report that in some areas of the city, groups of "aunties" gathered up to 50 people. Among the victims were not only protesters, but also journalists of the opposition TV channel TV Piveli. In particular, the well-known political activist Kobu Khabazi and the popular Georgian actor Giorgi Maharadze were beaten.
On Rustaveli Avenue, participants of the action are warned about the danger of walking alone. Meanwhile, some of the protesters decided to fight back against the aggressors and started looking for the attackers.
The reaction of the ombudsman and the police
Georgian Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani called on the Interior Ministry to urgently stop the violence, warning that the country was on the brink of civil war. "The state bears full responsibility," Ioseliani emphasized, demanding an end to the activities of informal aggressive groups.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that a criminal case had been opened based on the facts of the attacks. However, there is still no information about the detainees, which only adds fuel to the fire.
