The trial of Ganimat Zahid, editor-in-chief of the Azadliq (Freedom) newspaper, who resides in France, has begun in Baku. The journalist denies the charges of anti-state incitement, viewing the criminal case as persecution for his professional activities.
Candidate for mayor of Tbilisi and General Secretary of the Georgian Dream Kakha Kaladze commented on the incident at his election headquarters on Melikishvili Avenue, calling it a planned provocation. According to him, a group of about thirty opposition-minded activists arrived at the headquarters building with the aim of "artificially escalating tensions".
"This was a serious provocation, which, by the way, is not the first time. It has become a daily routine for these people to run there, insult, swear, etc. There is an election campaign, this is our election headquarters. We are not breaking into anyone, we are not attacking anyone," the politician was indignant.
He also spoke harshly about the girls and women who participated in the protest. Answering journalists' questions about the use of force against the protesters, Kaladze showed a video recording, claiming that it "shows how cruel the protesters are."
"There are no women here, I don't know, they are some other breed. Show me at least one person who is a woman," Kaladze added.
In addition, the Dream Secretary General insulted journalists from opposition publications, classifying them as the same "akatsuki" as the protesters.
"You are the people who daily highlight dirt, stir up controversy in society, try to split. That is who you are. You are no different from those criminals who attacked the election headquarters yesterday," Kaladze told a press representative.
The politician expressed hope that "international organizations, and even the EU embassy and ambassador, will honor and give an appropriate assessment" of what happened.