Ten Participants of Protest in Tbilisi Under Administrative Detention

The Tbilisi City Court made a decision late Thursday night to place ten participants of the November 18 protest near the Parliament building under administrative detention for periods ranging from 5 to 13 days. The ruling by Judge Vladimir Pilishvili was met with protests from the detainees and citizens present at the trial.

The judge also ordered a fine of 1,000 lari (approximately $335) for one of the arrested individuals. The cases of an additional 25 persons arrested during the protest will be heard on Thursday.

The case against Zurab Japaridze, the leader of the opposition Girchi party, will be handled separately. Earlier reports indicated that 37 participants were detained during the police crackdown on the protest on November 18. All of them face administrative charges for failing to comply with police orders and for minor hooliganism.