Georgia's Past Seeps Into its Present
by Jennifer Wong
On November 2, 2006, thousands crowded in front of the Georgian parliament in the capital city of Tbilisi to call for the resignation of the president due to corruption charges; this would be the start of a series of mass peaceful protests ending in brutal government violence. The protests were sparked by the arrest of former Georgian Defense Minister, Irakli Okruashvili, on money laundering charges a few days after he accused Georgian President, Mikhail Saakashvili of corruption and plotting the murder of a political opponent.
On November 7, six days into the series of protests, riot police violently disbanded the demonstrations. According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), riot police and men in masks and black uniforms beat and chased fleeing protesters even though protestors did not fight back against this brutality. "Riot police, without warning, attacked using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons," says an HRW report. "The police chased protestors and shot some in the back with rubber bullets as they tried to flee." By the end of the day, more than 500 people sought medical attention.
Following these acts of brutality against nonviolent protesters, riot police proceeded to shut down two independent news channels which had been extensively covering the protests. One of the television stations, Imedi TV, is co-owned by Badri Patarkatsishvili, an open critic of the government and a financer of the Georgian opposition movement. For someone who continues to adamantly deny corruption and authoritarianism within his government, President Saakashvili certainly knew how to handle the protests like the best of dictators. As if to justify the viciousness of the police response, Saakashvili called for a 15-day state of emergency and the suspensions of some legal rights, including a ban on demonstrations.
Georgia has not seen protests like these since the Rose Revolution, the bloodless revolution in 2003 that put Saakashvili in power. Saakashvili should look back on his past and remember how he first came into power. Saakashvili has forgotten the will-power of the masses. It was the people, after all, who put him in power and the people can remove him from power.
During the Rose Revolution, Saakashvili challenged former President Eduard Shevardnadze for his authoritarian ways, but now, according to Saakashvili's opponents, he is demonstrating the same authoritarianism that led to the people's ousting of Shevardnadze. If Saakashvili truly wanted to prove that he was is not corrupt and does not use authoritarian methods, he would not have cracked down on the protests as violently as he did. The people have a right to protest peacefully and media outlets have the right to report on these protests. Saakashvili was wrong in allowing riot police to use tear gas and water cannons without warning on peaceful protesters. Saakashvili was wrong in shutting down private television stations. Saakashvili is wrong if he believes calling a state of emergency to "suppress an attempted coup" will justify his excessively violent response to peaceful protests.
But the future seems hopeful in Georgia and perhaps Saakashvili is slowly recognizing his mistake. His actions have drawn international criticism, jeopardizing Georgia's chances of joining NATO and the European Union. To make amends (to the international community or to the people of his country - I'm not sure which side to place my bets on), Saakashvili has agreed to an early presidential election scheduled for January 5, 2008. The state of emergency was lifted on November 16 - almost a week earlier than originally intended. With the announcement of early elections, a major demand of the oppositions, the opposition called off the protest campaign. While President Saakashvili remains confident that he can win the early elections, the opposition has unified and decided to field candidate Levan Gachechiladze, a MP who played a big role in the six-day protests. And if on January 5, 2008, the results are not in favor of President Saakashvili, let us hope that he can use that opportunity to make amends for the events of early November and step down with dignity.
