18 Sep 2024 | 05:53 PM UTC
Georgia: Activists to demonstrate in Tbilisi Sept. 19 /update 1
Activists to protest at Parliament and Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 19. Heightened security likely.
Activists plan to protest at Parliament and Freedom Square in Tbilisi on the evening of Sept. 19. The purpose of the demonstrations is to denounce recent statements made by Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, in which he expressed his intention for the government to apologize to the population of South Ossetia for the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Participants will gather at Parliament from 19:00 and Freedom Square from 20:00. It was not immediately clear how many participants may attend; however, several hundred demonstrators appeared to attend a related protest Sept. 15.
Heightened security and localized transport disruptions are likely near the protest sites. Low-level confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers cannot be ruled out.
Avoid the affected area as a standard precaution. Allow additional time if traveling near the protest sites. Strictly heed all instructions from law enforcement officers. Immediately depart the area at the first sign that any security disturbance may occur.
