Tbilisi, Georgia- On September 18th, 2012 a video clip of prison guards sexually and physically abusing prisoners, was shown on national news stations. By the next morning most of the country was aware of the inexcusable acts by the guards, and the nation was in uproar. To express their dismay of the population were thousands of college students throughout the capital city of Tbilisi, who took to the streets on the 19th, declaring they want those responsible for these acts to be punished, including the government ministers responsible for the system within which these acts occurred. In a country where opposition to the government has been steadily improving over the past nine years, this is a major set back in the eyes of its people. In a country that has been viewed as the example other post-Soviet states should follow, this is a tremendous blow to its government’s reputation. And with the protests taking place so close to parliamentary elections that will commence on October 1st, it puts the voices of these college students on a platform never before witnessed within the developing nation.
In an interview with HPR, Luka Grigolia, one of the protest organizers and a law student at Tbilisi State University stated, “It is very important for our country. The last big student demonstration was decades ago, so thousands of students protesting now. It is unbelievable.” While the country is no stranger to large political demonstrations (the current party gained power after a massive political protest in 2003 that earned the name the Rose Revolution because the demonstrators carried roses), to see a movement of this size organized and made up of primarily students is a rare thing. The last student protest of such a size occurred in 1978 when the Soviet Union attempted to eliminate Georgian as the national language. These protests were successful, and the current protests have potential to enact just as much, if not more change in the current regime.
When asked by HPR what the main goals of the protests are, Otto Kobakhidze, a key organizer of the protests and a political science student from Tbilisi State University, answered, “Start investigations on the ministers who were involved, in creating this terrible system and those who were abusing and violating prisoners. Also, we want the minister of justice to resign. Since the election is soon, our goal is to influence, whoever gains power in the election to fulfill our demands.” These goals, although quite strong are attainable, even now the government has been taking some, albeit limited, action against those involved. Georgia’s Interior Minister, Bacho Akhalaia, Prisons Minister, Khatuna Kalmakhelidze have both resigned, and the guards who were caught on video abusing prisoners have had formal charges brought against them by the state. However, for many this is not enough. When asked if these actions by the government were enough, Grigolia replied, “They just jailed 10 people and fired two iminsters, but we want to punish them too, they were guilty as well. They created this system.”
The interesting aspect of these protests happens to be that while the country is focused primarily on the partisan aspect of the upcoming election, with Mikheil Saakashvili’s incumbent United National Movement (UNM) facing the oppositional “Georgian Dream” party led by billionaire-turned-politician Bidzina Ivanishvili, the students are not interested in party politics. When asked by HPR if he sees the protests as actions in support of UNM or Georgian Dream, Grigolia, answered “After the first or second day some people just tried to make people think that our movement is controlled by political parties, but that’s not true.” While the Georgian Dream movement has been using the videos to discredit UNM, and attempting to hijack the protests, the students want it to be clear, it is not a matter of one party being better than the other, it is the system that is broken. Tamuna Phatsatsia, a law student from Caucasus University. “It does not matter if you are a prisoner, rich, poor, student, etc. Every human being’s rights must be protected. Not in theory, but in real life. Even though those people in the prisons are felons, well some of them are not, they do not deserve such treatment from anybody.” The students of Georgia have shown that some things transcend the bickering of political parties. They do not care if Georgian Dream or UNM wins in the upcoming elections. Either way they want to see a change in the system, and want basic human rights provided for all Georgians, even if they have broken the law.
© 2024 Harvard Political Review. All rights reserved.