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Georgian Pride to Rally Without State Security Commitments

Ani Chkhikvadze

   Organizers of Tbilisi Pride in the Southern Caucasus nation of Georgia
   say government officials have abandoned their duty to protect citizens
   in the face of violent threats, but that they are moving forward with
   scheduled events anyway.

   "We had only one demand from the government: to ensure safety and
   protection for everyone who would be going out, and to have access to
   our constitutional right of freedom of assembly," Giorgi Tabagari, a
   prominent gay rights activist, told VOA's Georgian Service.

   The Georgian capital has been on edge in days leading up to its
   inaugural Pride celebrations, which are scheduled to culminate in the
   March of Dignity through city center Saturday, the first event of its
   kind since a gathering against homophobia in 2013 saw dozens of
   demonstrators attacked by Orthodox Christian priests and
   ultra-conservatives armed with clubs and other weapons.

   Having long urged government officials to provide security at planned
   events, Tbilisi Pride organizers rallied outside Georgia's Ministry of
   Internal Affairs over the weekend, chanting, "State, where are you?"

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