(28 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tbilisi, Georgia – 28 October 2024
1. People protesting outside parliament
2. Various of Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili talking on stage in front of protesters
3. Close of phone screen showing Zourabichvili
4. SOUNDBITE (Georgian) Salome Zourabichvili, Georgian President:
"We have to create the full picture of how this unique, unprecedented theft happened which was conducted en masse and systematically which was a pre-planned huge operation that stole our votes, that stole the parliament from us, and stole the constitution."
5. Protester holding a banner reading (English) "Georgia votes for EU"
6. Wide of protesters
7. Close of banner reading (English): "These were not elections, this was a Russian special operation."
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Tengiz Lokhishvili, 21, protester:
"We are here to protect our future and votes, and we want to protect also our European future. And I think Europe will be more clear to support us and we hope we will win finally, and the Russian dream will go home in Russia and Moscow, and we will be part of European Union."
9. Policeman watching protest
10. Protesters holding banner reading (Georgian) "Those who are not awakened, they are now losing the homeland"
11. Protesters applauding
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Natia Chachava, protester:
"We are here because we don’t want Russia. We don’t want back to Russia. We don’t want back to Soviet Union. Georgia is pro-European country. And I don’t know. People are upset because election, it’s obvious that the election was rigged. So I hope that something will be changed. And all these people they don’t want back to Russia."
13. People protesting
14. Protester wrapped in European Union flag
15. Various of people protesting
16. Close of banner reading (English) "Our future, our vote – respect it"
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Lana Togonidze, 20, protester:
"This is our last hope to save our democracy in this country. Our elections have been rigged and if we don’t succeed in this fight, our country will be handed over to Russia, and we’re not ready to give that up."
18. Pan of people protesting
19. Man standing with banner reading (Georgian): "Georgia chooses Europe"
20. Protesters hugging
STORYLINE:
Tens of thousands of Georgians massed outside parliament Monday night, demanding the annulment of the weekend parliamentary election that the president denounced as rigged with the help of Russia.
The rally deepened the political crisis in the South Caucasus country, where the governing Georgian Dream party has become increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow.
"We have to create the full picture how this unique, unprecedented theft happened which was conducted en masse and systematically which was a pre-planned huge operation that stole our votes, that stole the parliament from us and stole the constitution," President Salome Zourabichvili told the demonstrators who waved Georgian and European Union flags.
Zourabichvili, a mostly ceremonial president, told the crowd that she would defend the country’s path toward Europe against actions by the Georgian Dream.
Natia Chachava, who was wrapped in the Georgian flag, said the demonstrators “don’t want Russia, we don’t want to back to Russia or back to the Soviet Union.”
Student Lana Togonidze, 20, called the demonstration the "last hope to save our democracy in this country."
The U.S. and the European Union urged full investigations of the result of Saturday’s election.
AP Video by Kostya Manenkov
AP Production by Sophiko Megrelidze
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