UNM rally for ex-Pres Saakashvili will go ahead despite reported restrictions, leader

United National Movement governing council chairman Irakli Pavlenishvili said the party would proceed with a planned rally in support of former President Mikheil Saakashvili on 1 October despite what he described as restrictions communicated by the Interior Ministry.

Pavlenishvili on Tuesday said the party had been informed that the rally could not be held at Rike Park without permission from the Interior Ministry and Tbilisi City Hall. He called the alleged requirement unlawful and said the party nevertheless intended to gather at the Rike Docks.

“Despite this technical obstacle, I once again call on everyone to attend the rally,” Pavlenishvili said.

He alleged that the authorities were attempting to prevent the gathering because of Saakashvili’s political influence, and accused the government of seeking to create obstacles to the event. 

The UNM representative called on supporters to gather near the site at 5pm on 1 October, saying the rally would demand Saakashvili’s release. The party had initially announced the event for 7pm, but Pavlenishvili subsequently gave 5pm as the starting time.

The rally is being organised five years after Saakashvili was arrested in Georgia in October 2021. Pavlenishvili has described the former president’s release as a central demand of the opposition party.