28 May 2021, 12:11
Eight people detained at protest against construction of Namakhvan HPP
Law enforcers have detained opponents of the construction of a hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in the Rioni Gorge for disobeying the police, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has informed.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in the morning on May 27, several dozen activists blocked the office of the "Enka" Construction Company located in the village of Gumati. The protesters threw stones at the metal gates installed by the police; an investigation into the case of damaging property is underway, the MIA has reported. In their turn, activists treat the initiated criminal case as an attempt to intimidate them.
Protests against the construction of the Namakhvan HPP continue for almost six months. On March 29, the Prime Minister of Georgia announced that the construction of the Namakhvan HPP would be suspended for 9-12 months in order to thoroughly check its impact on the environment. However, on April 4, the preparatory works for the construction of the Namakhvan cascade of hydroelectric power plants were resumed despite Georgian authorities' promises.
The village of Gumati was the venue of law enforcers' clashes with opponents of the Namakhvan HPP; eight protesters were detained, Madona Basiladze, a local representative of the Georgian Ombudsperson, said today on air of the "Rustavi-2" TV Company.
All the eight protesters were detained under the administrative article of disobeying the police, the "Sputnik-Georgia" has reported with reference to the country's MIA.
The MIA has mobilized its employees in the Rioni Valley to maintain the public order due to security measures and to prevent an artificial escalation of events, says the MIA's statement.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 28, 2021 at 01:37 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Galina Gotua Source: CK correspondent
