Opposition cries foul at Georgia arrests

Georgia's opposition accused police of making politically motivated arrests Monday after some of its supporters were detained for allegedly seeking to buy arms ahead of protests next month. Skip related content

Related photos / videos

Nino Burjanadze Enlarge photo

More photos: Georgia gallery

Interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili told AFP that several people, including some members of a leading opposition party, had been arrested Monday for attempting to buy automatic weapons.

"This operation was not aimed against any political party or the demonstration. We are not going to restrict demonstrations. What we are going to do is make sure that nobody gets shot and that we don't end up in large-scale violence," he said.

He said further details of the arrests would be released later.

The opposition Democratic Movement - United Georgia, led by former parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze, said that nine of its supporters had been detained in an early morning raid on the home of the party's chairman in the Ajara region, Zurab Avaliani.

"The government of Georgia has resorted to illegal and deplorable methods to fight its political opponents," the party said in a statement. "The police regime has launched a full-scale attack against the Democratic Movement - United Georgia."

The party also said that one of its offices near Tbilisi had been illegally searched "which allegedly resulted in 'finding' arms".

Georgian opposition groups are preparing to launch a series of protests on April 9 aimed at toppling President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Pressure has been mounting on Saakashvili since Georgia's war last year with Russia, with many here, including some top former allies, accusing him of mishandling the conflict.

Georgia's intelligence chief Gela Bezhuashvili on Friday alleged that Russia was seeking to sow "internal disorder and destabilisation" in the country.

Georgian officials have repeatedly hinted at links between the opposition and Moscow, which government critics say is part of a smear campaign to undermine their support.

Georgia has seen repeated political violence since gaining its independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and some fear April's protests could spark further unrest.

[get this widget]