A court released on bail a Georgian man whose arrest sparked protests in Tbilisi

The Telavi District Court released Giorgi Chigladze on bail of 5,000 lari; his detention following a conflict with Russian-speaking tourists had sparked protests in Tbilisi. 

Judge Tamar Kapanadze partially granted the prosecution’s motion and ruled to release the suspect directly from the courtroom. The conflict occurred during a wedding at the Agarani Estate hotel, when, according to the defense, foreign female tourists provoked guests, behaved offensively, and damaged musical equipment.

Russian media identified the victim as a Russian citizen, while the defense denies that language was a factor and emphasizes that the man acted in self-defense. Protests began in the Georgian capital in support of the detainee, as protesters believed the incident was caused by the tourists’ disrespectful behavior.

This was reported by Interpressnews.

Protests erupted in Georgia following the arrest of a man who beat tourist Alona Nesteryuk after a conflict at a hotel. During the protest, demonstrators chanted “Putin is a f*cker.”

As a reminder, the Georgian government wants to ban spontaneous protests near government buildings.

Georgia also plans to tighten the rules for obtaining residence permits.

Georgiais introducing new rules for smartphone use in schools.