Tbilisi Police Prevent Armenians from Marching Towards Azerbaijani Embassy

On September 18 in Tbilisi, police obstructed Armenians from carrying out a protest action, reported the "Armenian Community of Georgia." The organization stated in a press release: "A few days ago, an initiative that called on Armenians to unite for the sake of Armenia and raise their voices of protest was circulated on social media, which our organization openly supported. To avoid provocations, our members decided to accompany this march, which began from the area adjacent to the Havlabar metro station and was set to conclude in front of the Azerbaijani embassy.

A significantly disproportionate number of police were present at the march, forming a 'human wall' on the Metekhi Bridge. After a long argument with the police, it became evident that the police had orders to prevent march participants from continuing towards the Azerbaijani embassy.

In order to avoid provocations, the president of the "Armenian Community of Georgia," Arthur Mirzoyan, attempted to organize the march participants and redirect them towards the building of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (this is also recorded and clearly audible). However, he was not given that opportunity as he was arrested along with another participant of the march.

The illegal arrest of Arthur Mirzoyan raised an uproar among the organization's members, who tried to halt this unlawful act, and at that moment four other members of the organization were also arrested. Nevertheless, this did not break the spirits of the remaining march participants, and those members of the organization who remained free continued the march with patriotic songs towards the building of the Georgian Parliament, calling for the condemnation of Aliyev, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

In front of the Parliament building, young people delivered speeches, including a Ukrainian citizen who expressed support for Armenia and Ukraine. The demonstration continued until the participants learned of the release of their five detained members.

The Armenian Community of Georgia will keep the public updated on future developments. Below are the photos from today’s event.