Policemen, Protesters Injured in Confrontation

From the newspaper civil.ge

"Several opposition politicians and activists have been injured as a result of a confrontation with the police that took place outside the Tbilisi police department headquarters late on Wednesday evening.

The Interior Ministry said that six policemen were injured.

Confrontation erupted when protesters arrived at the headquarters of the Tbilisi police department to demand release of three activists arrested in connection with assault on the public TV.

Police officers, including riot police with shields and batons were deployed inside the police headquarters yard, beyond the iron fence, which divides police yard from the street. Protesters were standing on the other side of the fence.

When the opposition activists arrived, they approached the fence and started to shake it and verbally insulting policemen standing on the other side of the fence. At that point, riot policemen took position immediately at the fence, but without going beyond it. They were hitting their batons at protesters to push them from the fence.

Opposition politicians, including Levan Gachechiladze, Gia Maisashvili, Shalva Obgaidze, were seen with blood stain in their heads. Some other opposition activists, as well as at least one cameraman and a female journalist, also two security guards of Nino Burjanadze, leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia party, were also seen having blood stains in their heads.

It was not immediately clear what caused their injuries. According to some reports riot police used rubber bullets and plastic bullets. Some opposition activists have claimed that police officers were also tossing stones.

Protesters arrived at the Tbilisi police headquarters after a singer and an activist Giorgi Gachechiladze suddenly appeared at the rally outside the Parliament on Wednesday evening and called on the protesters to march towards the Tbilisi police department to demand release of three activists from the youth opposition groups.

“If we now forgive them [the authorities] this arrest and if we do not set them [activists] free, it will continue for ever. We are now going to Digomi [Tbilisi’s district where the capital city’s police headquarters is located] to set free these guys,” he told protesters.

When the confrontation erupted after the arrival of protesters, Giorgi Gachechiladze got over the iron fence and went inside the police yard. Later it became known that Giorgi Gachechiladze was hospitalized. Davit Gamkrelidze, the leader of New Rights Party, part of Alliance for Georgia, said that Giorgi Gachechiladze was beaten up.

Nino Burjanadze was seen at one point calling on protesters through loudspeakers to “move back from the fence.”

Later the protesters left the immediate vicinity of the police department headquarters and they are now rallying not too far from the headquarters, blocking the highway there.

Eka Zguladze, the deputy interior minister, described the protesters action as “dangerous criminal act.”

“The police have demonstrated extreme restraint,” she said. “The police was protecting the inner perimeter of [the police department] and it was no way a break up of the rally.”

When asked about injures among protesters, she said: “I saw on TV that there have been tossing of items on the both sides. I know that several policemen have their heads broken.”

A chief doctor at the nearby hospital said at least 17 persons asked for treatment. “All of them have lacerated wounds; not a single wound is life-threatening,” doctor Zaza Sinauridze told journalists.

Others injured in the incident have applied for treatment in other hospitals, but no figures were immediately known."