Protesters in Tbilisi Give Interior Minister One Hour to Resign

Protesters in Tbilisi have given Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia until 14:00 today to submit his resignation, threatening to gather again near the Parliament building at 19:00 if he fails to comply, reports the Georgian service of "Azatutyun".

The protesters are also demanding the release of those detained on June 20 and accountability for the police officers who used violence against demonstrators.

Clashes between the police and protesters erupted after thousands gathered Thursday evening near the Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding the resignation of Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, as well as the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service.

The public discontent was sparked by the session of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy held in Tbilisi the previous day, which was chaired by the Russian MP Sergey Gavrilov, known for his anti-Georgian views. Gavrilov, who advocates for the restoration of the USSR and associates Orthodoxy with Communist Party membership, occupied the seat intended for the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, an act perceived as a humiliation of Georgian statehood.

Following nearly 12 hours of fierce clashes in central Tbilisi, which resulted in injuries to 240 protesters and police officers, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, submitted his resignation immediately after a meeting of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party's political council.