Protest "Stand for Georgia" to be held in Tbilisi tonight

A large-scale protest titled "Stand for Georgia" is set to take place today, June 29, at 20:00 on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. Demonstrators are expected to arrive in part by march, with Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, scheduled to address the crowd.

The protest comes amid growing concerns over political repression in the country. In a statement shared by organizers, they warn that "Georgia’s enemy is trying to turn a free country into one big prison." According to the statement, political leaders of pro-Western parties, journalists, activists, doctors, actors, poets, and teachers are already imprisoned, and “if this continues, we will all be behind bars — some as prisoners, some as guards, but all in prison.”

"Today, silence is complicity. But Georgia cannot be complicit. Our presence, our voices, our unity show that people in Georgia still believe in freedom," the statement continues.

Organizers are calling on citizens to join the rally with friends and family, bringing posters and standing in solidarity:
"Stand with your people. Stand for Georgia."