Police investigate fire at protest tent outside parliament in central Tbilisi

Authorities in Tbilisi are investigating a fire that broke out overnight in a protest tent set up outside the Georgian parliament on central Rustaveli Avenue.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia said on Thursday emergency services were dispatched after reports that a tent near the parliament building had caught fire on 12 March.

Witnesses, identified by police as activists Gocha Bashelishvili, born in 1996, and Roman Iatsenko, born in 1975, told investigators they had been staying in the tent during the night when it caught fire under unclear circumstances. 

They managed to extinguish the blaze themselves shortly afterwards.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Police said both men were taken to a station for questioning. Breathalyser tests indicated that they had been under the influence of alcohol at the time. 

Another individual present at the scene, Darejan Tskhvitaria, was also brought in for questioning as part of the investigation.

The investigation has been launched under Article 188, Part 2 of the Georgian criminal code, which concerns damage or destruction of property caused by negligent handling of fire or another source of increased danger.

Investigators also removed the fire-damaged tent from the site as evidence, while the surrounding area was temporarily cleared for safety reasons.