Opposition figure Gulu Mammadli stated that the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was expected, but the reasons go beyond simple criticism of the authorities. According to Mammadli, Karimli's publications in major Western media have increased his political significance and visibility abroad, which has caused concern among the Azerbaijani authorities.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili supported the protesters on Rustaveli Avenue against the draft law on foreign agents. She again announced that she would veto the bill.
Police in downtown Tbilisi fired rubber bullets and tear gas after the protesters threw incendiary bombs and stones at the policemen. Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has issued a statement on protests. " The group used various objects, including flammable agents, against the employees. Both participants and law enforcers suffered during the action," the Ministry said in a statement.
Spokesman for the State Department Ned Price said that those responsible for the suppression of protests in Georgia may be sanctioned by the United States. "We have a number of tools that can hold anyone in any country accountable for interfering in the realization of what is a universal human right," said Ned Price at the briefing. In addition, he said, the adoption of the law on foreign agents in Georgia "may endanger the partnership between Washington and Tbilisi".