Tbilisi Mayor urges everyone to express protest within law

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said that every citizen has the right to express their views freely and hold protests, but within the law.

“The freedom of expression is guaranteed in the country. Everyone has the right to express viewpoints freely, hold protests, and convene people, but everything has its rules, framework, and laws. Let everyone express protest within the law; otherwise, a strict response will follow,” he said.

Responding to the question whether the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE Party) should distance itself from its partner, the Lelo party or expel it from its ranks, Tbilisi Mayor said that, on the contrary, the ALDE may incite violent activities.

“I have no illusion that they will distance themselves from the Lelo, since what we have been observing in the latest years in the country and ongoing processes, we can conclude that everything is ruled from outside, they receive instructions from outside and have their patrons.

They will not, and cannot, distance themselves from all this; on the contrary, they might even motivate it. We have witnessed how, in recent years, violent groups and extremist organizations have been motivated and funded. This is the situation, and we should not have an illusion that they will act otherwise or condemn Lelo’s behavior.

That will not be the case. On the contrary, they will do everything to further intensify pressure within the country and to embolden extremist and violent groups. This is a regrettable reality,” Kaladze said.

Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of the Lelo-Strong Georgia coalition, was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for an attempted terrorist act relating to a November 29 incident.