On May 26, Ucha Kemashvili, a participant in the protest rally held near the Parliament building, was arrested by police after burning a flag of the Georgian Dream party.
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"They followed him from Rustaveli Avenue to Varketili. My brother probably took the metro because his car was parked here. They pursued him into the metro and knew where he was going. 35 people were dispatched to arrest one man. I watched all this from the window and then went downstairs. I realized what was happening late. The car door closed, they opened it, grabbed him, and took him to a dark spot where they put him into another car," says Nini Kemashvili, the detainee's sister.
Under current legislation, desecrating the official symbol of the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), or another international organization, or desecrating the flag or emblem of another state, constitutes an administrative offense and is punishable by a 1,000 GEL fine. Burning a political party's flag is not a violation of the law.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not clarified the grounds for Ucha Kemashvili's arrest or the charges against him. Family members searched for the detainee for several hours, trying to find his location. Lawyers finally located the detainee at the Digomi temporary detention isolator in the morning.
Ucha Kemashvili lives in Kakheti. He is an active participant in the ongoing protest rallies on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. He frequently brings fruit from the region to distribute among the demonstrators.
Yesterday, in Batumi, Luka Natsvlishvili, a participant in the protest rallies, was arrested during an event dedicated to Independence Day.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs accuses him of violating Articles 173 [disobedience to police] and 166 [petty hooligan actions] of the Code of Administrative Offenses. However, a video showing Natsvlishvili's arrest, recorded by an eyewitness, shows Luka asking the police officers the grounds for his detention: "Why are you arresting me?" The police officers do not answer his question and forcefully place him in a vehicle.
