Ukrainian citizen in Georgia fined for protesting against cruise ship with Russian tourists
The Batumi City Court has found Maryna Chobanian, a Ukrainian citizen, guilty of disobeying a lawful police request. Chobanian took part in protests against the arrival of a cruise ship with Russian tourists in Batumi on 31 July.
Source: News-Georgia, a Georgian media outlet
Details: Chobanian said in court that she had been unlawfully detained. She explained that it happened so suddenly and was carried out in such an aggressive manner that she did not understand what was happening and instinctively tried to fend off the detaining officers with her arms in a state of shock during the first seconds. The court did not heed her arguments.
The judge said that she had no right to strike the police officers, then clarified that she had no right to wave the officers away with her arms. Chobanian was fined 2,000 GEL (approximately US$768).
The court acquitted Chobanian of charges of disorderly conduct and violation of public order.
Chobanian said she would appeal the verdict.
"I will appeal. I was accused of disobeying the police’s ‘lawful demand’, but they couldn’t prove the grounds for their actions. The court, having dismissed the charges of disorderly conduct, confirmed that there were no grounds for detention, so what is the ‘lawful demand’?" Chobanian told News-Georgia.
Verdicts in the cases of other protestors detained in the Batumi port, including another Ukrainian citizen, Dmytro Zakrevskyi, will also be delivered today, on 11 August.
A total of 23 people were detained at the rally in the Batumi port on 31 July.
Background: The protests in the Batumi port occurred in opposition to the arrival of the Astoria Grande cruise ship; on 31 July, the ship arrived in the Georgian port for the second time.
Students, members of the opposition movements, and activists gathered for a demonstration in the port. Astoria Grande left Batumi that same night.
Celebrities from the RU.TV TV channel who support the Russian war against Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among the Astoria Grande’s passengers.
Later, it was reported that the Astoria Grande would no longer call at the Georgian port of Batumi, where Russian tourists were twice met with protests.
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