Georgia: Opposition protests in Tbilisi

Twenty years after clashes with Soviet troops outside the main government building in Tbilisi left 20 dead, the Georgian capital today braced itself for possible problems as the country’s opposition staged its first major rally since the August war with Russia.

Yesterday, Al Jazeera English’s Matthew Collin posted a video report and backgrounder setting the scene for today’s rally on his blog, This is Tbilisi Calling.

The Georgian capital is in a state of nervous tension, waiting and wondering what will happen tomorrow - April 9 - the day upon which the furious and embittered opposition has declared it will start the process of ousting President Mikheil Saakashvili through sheer force of numbers on the streets. Opposition supporters will start rallying outside parliament at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and their leaders say they won’t leave until Saakashvili is gone too - however long it takes.

Despite some initial concerns about internet access, the GIPA Journalism School Blog has been covering events as they unfold.

We are journalism students in Tbilisi, Georgia, and we started this blog as a class project to cover the April 9, 2009 protest organized around the country, demanding that Georgian President Mikael Saakashvili to resign.

This blog contains our English-language coverage of the event. We are dedicated to providing objective, fact-based, balanced coverage. […]

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