Mariam Gaprindashvili, a journalist of the TV Pirveli station, was injured while covering the ongoing protest near the Parliament in Tbilisi. An ambulance transported her to the Ingorokva Clinic.
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"She had bruises in the temple area. I can't tell you what caused them," said the ambulance doctor after taking the journalist to the clinic.
Later, the doctor at the clinic explained that Mariam Gaprindashvili had a laceration on her right forehead, which was treated and stitched up. She is undergoing “high-tech, radiological examinations.”
“She complains of mild dizziness, headache. She has a mild concussion. She is requesting to be discharged home. We think it is best for her to remain in the clinic for observation. If there is no damage on the CT scan of her brain, she can leave the clinic after 24 hours,” the doctor said.
For the second consecutive day, a protest is being held near the Parliament. Thousands of citizens are demonstrating against the decision by Georgian Dream to suspend Georgia's European integration process until the end of 2028.
Periodic confrontations between the police and demonstrators continue. As was the case yesterday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has used water cannons, rubber bullets, and other special measures to disperse the protesters.
Saba Brachveli, a lawyer with the Open Society Foundation and a former deputy public defender, was injured during the rally. According to him, he was hit by a rubber bullet fired by special forces, resulting in an eye injury.
“From at least 100 meters away, the special forces targeted me and shot at me. Thanks to my reflexes, my eye is fine, but there is damage to my eyebrow and cheek. When I was hit, I closed my eyes and crouched down. At that moment, one of the Special Task Department forces jumped out, seemingly intending to drag me away. In other words, their aim was not only to shoot and injure me but also to take me away," Brachveli wrote on Facebook.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs states that protesters are verbally and physically assaulting police officers, throwing various objects and pyrotechnics at them, resulting in injuries to two Ministry employees.
"Law enforcement officers used special measures permitted by law to manage the situation," the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement.
The President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs not to use force against citizens. According to her, there is nothing occurring on Rustaveli Avenue or in other cities that warrants their intervention or raids.
"The responsibility lies solely with you and your superiors. They should reflect on this as well," the president said.