Tbilisi Calm, A Further Protest Expected

Calm has been restored, albeit temporarily, in the streets of Georgia's capital. Police have cleared Tbilisi streets of protesters and traffic is flowing as usual.

In the night, protesters vandalized a police car and threw stones at police officers on the way from Varaziskhevi to Rustaveli, with plans to block the road. They have since gone home.

The Healthcare Ministry told InterPressNews that 17 civilians and 38 police officers were injured in the clashes. Two civilians lost eyes due to being hit by rubber bullets. 

Shalva Natelashvili, the founder of Georgian Labor Party, visited the Ingorokva clinic where the injured are hospitalized. He announced to media that another protest will be organized tomorrow [today, Friday] in the capital and the oppositional parties together will present their plan to deal with the issues that arose on Thursday. “I expect many more people will show tomorrow than today,” said Natelashvili.

Photo source: IPN