Support for children with Duchenne syndrome was on the agenda of the protests on Rustaveli Avenue.
On the 526th day of protests, protesters outside the Georgian Parliament once again supported the demands of parents seeking the purchase of a modern drug for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on May 6, the 525th day of continuous protests, a Tbilisi court imposed arrests and large fines on several more active protesters, whom police accused of blocking traffic.
Supporters of Georgia's European integration, carrying national and EU flags, gathered today on the pedestrian section of Rustaveli Avenue near the Parliament for the 526th consecutive evening.
Along with their continued demands for the government's resignation and the release of political prisoners, protesters outside parliament once again supported a demand for medication for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, put forward by their parents. Protesting parents have been spending their eighteenth night outside the government administration building, Publika reports.
Activists held signs reading: "No justice, no peace," "The people will forgive everything except the deprivation of truth," "Freedom of the media," "Stand by the children's side," "We'll die but won't leave until we get medication," "Medicine for children," and "The screen divides, problems unite," according to posts by Netgazeti and photographer Mo Se on Facebook*.
One of the signs read opposition leader and protester Nodar Chachanidze: "I'm glad I'm in the dock today, not a prosecutor or a judge." About two years ago, in May 2024, Nodar Chachanidze, an activist with the opposition movement "Akhali," was attacked in Tbilisi.
One of the active protesters, student Ani Pridonashvili, was detained by police today on university grounds after a lecture. She was handcuffed, despite clearly posing no threat, noted Tamar Oniani, head of the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association.
In protest, other students unfurled a banner in support of Ani Pridonashvili in front of the main building of Ilia University. "If we are detained in front of the university today, tomorrow we will be forcibly dragged out of the classroom during a lecture," the Pirveli television channel quotes students as saying.
Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces have violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and have detained protesters. Thousands of people have been subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report, "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".