Hundreds of representatives from opposition parties and their supporters gathered for a protest in central Tbilisi, blocking "Rustaveli" street near the Georgian Parliament building.
Sputnik reported today that the opposition began a march in front of the State Chancellery in Tbilisi after special forces detained Nika Melia, leader of the largest opposition party, the United National Movement. On Tuesday, February 23, Georgian special forces stormed the office of the opposition "United National Movement" party and arrested its leader, Nika Melia, after police and patrol units were mobilized nearby. Special forces rushed into the room where Melia was located and detained him, using tear gas. Live television footage showed Nika Melia being led away from his party's headquarters to be placed in pre-trial detention before his trial. The court session lasted more than six hours.
Earlier, the Georgian Parliament had lifted Melia's parliamentary immunity, after which the Prosecutor General's office requested the court to remand him as a precautionary measure for refusing to pay the previously set bail of 40,000 lari (more than 12,000 dollars). The arrest of Melia (41 years old) exacerbates the political crisis in Georgia, which has persisted since the parliamentary elections held last October. Last week, the United States and the European Union called on the Georgian government to resolve the crisis peacefully and ensure the judiciary remains free of political bias.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia previously announced his resignation due to disagreements with his government team regarding the arrest of the opposition leader Nika Melia. The prime minister stated, "Unfortunately, since I cannot agree with the team on this issue, I have decided to resign," describing the decision to arrest Melia as unjust under circumstances that could lead to political escalation. Following the resignation decision, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the detention of opposition politician Nika Melia was temporarily postponed, while the "United National Movement" party welcomed Gakharia's decision. The Tbilisi City Court approved the request submitted by the Prosecutor General's office and ordered Melia's detention before his trial on Wednesday evening.
