Protesters Against Namakhvani HPP Construction Threaten to Paralyze Tbilisi

Thousands of protesters who took to the streets in the capital of Georgia against the construction of the Namakhvani hydropower plant have presented an ultimatum to the country's authorities. They threaten to completely paralyze Tbilisi if the government does not meet their demands within 24 hours, which include:

• Terminating the contract for the construction of the Namakhvani HPP cascade on the Rioni River signed between the government of Georgia and the Turkish company Enka Renewables;
• Cancelling the decision of the Georgian government to transfer ownership rights of state property to Enka Renewables;
• Initiating a criminal case against Georgia's Minister of Economy Natia Turnava and other officials involved in the project.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, commenting on the protest, referred to the event as "democratic processes."