Police have arrested Georgian poet Paata Shamugia during last night’s protest in Tbilisi. Reportedly, criminal police officers detained him near the Freedom Square metro station, where demonstrators greeted his arrest with shouts of support and banners.
Earlier, another protester, Lasha Baratelia, was also taken into custody. Several of those detained during the protest on Rustaveli Avenue were later transferred to the Tbilisi Police Headquarters.
Shamugia’s lawyer, Viktor Kvitatians, visited him at dawn, confirming that the poet had been moved to the Digomi isolator around 3:00 a.m. “He is charged with blocking the roadway on Rustaveli Avenue—an offence punishable by up to 15 days in jail,” Kvitatians said.
Lawyer says Shamugia does not deny stepping onto the roadway. “That was his form of protest,” Kvitatians explained. “He openly admits to it and insists it was a constitutional expression of dissent, not a violation of the law. He says: ‘Yes, I stepped out—that was my protest.’”
The court is expected to decide today on administrative penalties for Shamugia and the other detainees.
Image source: Radio Liberty
