Tumanishvili Theater in Tbilisi suspends activities in protest after actor’s arrest

The Tumanishvili Theater in Tbilisi has suspended all activities in solidarity with pro-European protestors and in response to the arrest of actor Giorgi Chachanidze, the theatre announced on Tuesday.

Chachanidze was detained on January 12 during a demonstration in Tbilisi, which saw protests erupt outside a restaurant where judges were gathering for a corporate event.

The protest, which began around 3:00 p.m. at the Babilo restaurant on Beliashvili Street, was part of ongoing pro-European rallies that have been unfolding across the country for 48 days. Tensions mounted as protestors, who were critical of the government’s stance on European integration, clashed with police forces. The demonstrators threw eggs at the judges and raised their voices against the political establishment. In response, police forces, including special task units, were deployed to the scene to control the situation.

According to police reports, Chachanidze, along with eight other individuals, was arrested under charges of disobeying a police order and petty hooliganism.

The Tumanishvili Theater released a statement condemning the arrests and expressing its demand for fair treatment of all detained individuals. “We demand that all processes be conducted promptly and with the highest standards of human rights, that the existing questions be answered in a timely manner, and that those unjustly detained be immediately released!” the statement read.

In an apparent show of solidarity, the New Theatre in Tbilisi also announced it would cancel all performances for January in protest of the arrest of one of its own actors, Andro Chichinadze, who has been charged under criminal law.