“We, the family members of political prisoners, were curious to see what outcome our very first announced protest would bring. I can confidently say that our protest was successful – both the overnight vigil on April 8 and the activities planned throughout the following day,” – said Zurab Tsetskhladze, the father of Zviad Tsetskhladze, founder of the organization “Daphioni,” who was detained during earlier protests.

According to him, the Georgian Dream is “steering the country toward Russia.”

“After forming our movement, we announced our first protest for April 8–9 and clearly communicated our goals to the public.These goals were: to revive the spirit of April 9, 1989; to also commemorate April 9 two years later, when Georgia restored its independence;and to make a clear statement to society – that today, just like back then (in the 1990s), we would defend the April 9 Memorial from the Russian regime.

We would not allow officials who are dragging the country toward Russia to come to the memorial for propaganda purposes, to hypocritically lay flowers, and then use it to mislead the public into believing that April 9 or those who died on that day mean something to them.They are steering the country toward Russia – the same Russia that, on April 9, 1989, beat Georgian citizens with shovels.”

He continued:

“This was essentially a test for us. We, the families of political prisoners, wanted to know what result we could achieve with our first announced protest.I can confidently say that it was successful – both during the overnight vigil on April 8 and in terms of the day’s planned activities.

Despite the heavy police presence, we stood firm and didn’t let it escalate into clashes or dispersal.They understood that the protesters were mobilized and ready to resist. This was also very important – the people showed their fighting spirit, showing they are prepared to resist the Russian regime with even tougher means and methods.

I want this self-proclaimed government to take note – the more repressive laws they pass, the more they tighten the screws on the country, the more radical the response will be.This benefits no one – not the country, not us, and not this illegitimate government.

Therefore, I believe our goals and plans were fully accomplished. After today’s events conclude, we will gather again to decide on our next steps. We will announce them – and just as we did today, we will follow through on everything going forward,” – said Zurab Tsetskhladze.