Police disperse opposition rally in TbilisiMay 22, 2011 - 14:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Police in Georgia fired rubber bullets at protesters holding an all-night demonstration against Western-backed President Mikheil Saakashvili after they attacked a car full of people on May 22. Local television in the country showed pictures of a group of anti-government protesters with sticks attacking the car on Sunday morning, smashing its windows and beating people inside. "Police were forced to use rubber bullets to defend peaceful citizens," AFP quoted interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili as saying. A spokeswoman for opposition leader Nino Burjanadze said the clash was provoked by the people in the car, who tried to seize an activist from the overnight protest outside the Georgian public television studios. "People in the car were trying to kidnap one of the rally organisers and the protesters attempted to defend him," Burjanadze's spokeswoman Khatuna Ivanishvili told AFP. Several hundred people continued the protest outside the television studios after the incident, many of them carrying sticks. A second clash then erupted when angry protesters threw stones at cars which had approached the demonstration, suspecting the drivers of being undercover police officers. Around 6,000 supporters of the National Assembly opposition alliance rallied in Tbilisi on Saturday, accusing President Saakashvili of authoritarianism and calling for him to resign. Hundreds more rallied in the Black Sea resort of Batumi, where protests were broken up by police after activists tried to force their way into a local television station, demanding airtime. The National Assembly alleged that hundreds of its activists have been arrested over the past three days. "The authorities are carrying out a terror campaign against opposition supporters," Nino Burjanadze, a former parliamentary speaker for the Saakashvili government, told AFP. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | IDBank, Dalma team up for Caucasian Deer Reintroduction Program IDBank has joined Dalma Garden Mall’s Green Challenge to support the Caucasian red deer reintroduction project. Through Ucom’s support the 12th Sunchild Festival concludes On May 24-28, with the support of Ucom, the 12th international environmental festival Sunchild took place in Yerevan. U.S., Turkey emphasize importance of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal Jake Sullivan and Akif Cagatay Kilic have discussed the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia coach expects good football in Slovenia friendly The Armenian national team has left for Ljubljana a friendly match against Slovenia on June 4. |