Parliamentary committees approve detention of opposition MP
Opposition MP Nika Melia faces six to nine years in prison if convicted. Photo: Nika Melia’s Facebook page.
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The Georgian Parliament’s Procedural and Legal Issues Committee has approved the suspension of MP immunity for opposition MP Nika Melia, giving a green light to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office to detain the legislator for possible incitement to violence during the June 20 rally in Tbilisi.
The final vote will take place later today at parliament’s plenary session and Melia might be detained for organising violence by a group, heading the group and participation in the violence during the June 20-21 rallies in Tbilisi
Six MPs from the Procedural Issues Committee approved the request on detention made by the Prosecutor’s Office later yesterday and one went against, while nine supported the decision from the Legal Issues Committee and three voted against.
The ruling party says that the opposition used the public's sincere protest.Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Georgia is becoming an authoritarian state. It is time to change the country’s name from Georgia into North Korea,” a member of the United National Movement opposition Zaal Udumashvili said.
Melia has called the charge “funny and invented,” saying that his possible detention has political grounds.
Bidzina Ivanishvili [founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party],who runs the country, is a slave of Putin. Thank's God everyone sees everything and that we are not in the information vacuum," Melia responded to the deciison of the commitees.
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party say that there is evidence of how Melia called upon peaceful protesters to storm the parliament building.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has placed the responsibility on the opposition regarding the June 20 unrest, which left 305 detained and 240 injured.
He stated that the “destructive and irresponsible” calls and appeals by the opposition transformed “a peaceful and justified” rally in Tbilisi into unrest.
The rally in Tbilisi on June 20 was sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in Georgia and an address of one of them from the seat of the Georgian parliamentary speaker.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the “destructive and irresponsible” calls and appeals by the opposition transformed “a peaceful and justified” rally in Tbilisi into unrest on June 20 and the opposition members carry responsibility for that, commenting on recent charges against United National Movement MP Nika Melia.
A member of the United National Movement parliamentary opposition, MP Nika Melia has been charged with organising violence by a group, heading the group and participation in the violence during the June 20-21 rallies in Tbilisi, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office says.
The United National Movement and the European Georgia opposition have boycotted the plenary session in parliament earlier today, after the Georgian Dream ruling party declined to discuss a resolution text on the dismissal of Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia, drafted by European Georgia MPs.
Composed again largely of youth, the demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament of Georgia on the fifth consecutive day. Monday's peaceful demonstration ended at around 12 a.m. with the protesters marching around the parliament of Georgia holding hands and singing the national anthem. Calling everyone to rejoin them every day at 7 p.m. on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi, the organisers say their other demands still need to be fulfilled.
The Georgian parliament has voted to suspend MP immunity for United National Movement opposition MP Nika Melia, upholding yesterday's request from the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office yesterday to detain the legislator for possible incitement to violence during the June 20 rally in Tbilisi.
The United National Movement MP Nika Melia, who stands charged with incitement to violence during the June 20 rally in Tbilisi, has been released on 30,000 GEL [$10,000] bail.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office says it will appeal the decision of Tbilisi City Court yesterday to release opposition MP Nika Melia on 30,000 GEL [$10,000]bail, after being charged with incitement to violence on June 20 rally in Tbilisi.
Public activists and the opposition came with car horns at the administration building of the government on Georgia earlier today to demand the authorities dismiss Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia. Organisers of the Tbilisi protests, which were sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament on June 20, say that provocations might be staged during the rallies and they urged the police to ensure the safety of peaceful protests.