The police arrested five individuals at the office of the Unity - National Movement youth organization in Tbilisi. Prior to the arrests, a search was conducted for several hours, during which coalition leaders and the lawyer were not allowed to enter.
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Tite Gedenidze, the brother of one of the detainees, Davit Gedenidze, stated that the police did not inform him of the location where the young men were taken.
"They told us they were taking them for interrogation, but at the same time, they took them away with their hands twisted behind their backs. Helmets, raincoats, flags, and similar paraphernalia were confiscated. There is nothing illegal here. They arrested him for no reason. This cannot happen; this country is already turning into Russia," said Tite Gedenidze during a broadcast on TV Pirveli.
Tamar Kordzaia, one of the coalition's leaders, pointed out that employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs had violated all procedural rights.
"We were not presented with a search warrant, any resolution - nothing. We requested to have a lawyer present, but they refused to let us in. As a result, all rules and procedures were violated," said Kordzaia. According to her, "the Russian regime is taking root in the country."
Employees of the Central Criminal Police Department are conducting searches in the offices and residential apartments of opposition parties and activists involved in the protests.
Searches were carried out at the offices of the Coalition for Change and Unity - National Movement, during which Nika Gvaramia, co-chairman of the Ahali party, and Gela Khasaia, a member of Girchi - More Freedom, were arrested.
In an urgent action without a court order, police also searched the apartment of Ilia Ghlonti, founder of the Daitove group. According to the police, the case falls under Articles 225 and 239¹ of the Criminal Code, which pertain to organizing, leading, or participating in group violence and publicly calling for violent actions.
Yesterday, December 3, criminal police conducted a personal search of activist Dodi Kharkheli. He was stopped on the street after dropping her son off at kindergarten. Simultaneously, the activist's apartment was also searched. In this instance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs cited an investigation launched months ago into the case of Kharkheli's ex-husband, Ucha Abashidze, as the justification for the search.
Politicians and activists view the searches and arrests as an attempt at intimidation.
