Geopolitical Significance Of Georgia To West, With 'Color' Catalogue.
-The violence is the most serious challenge to Mr
Saakashvili since he swept to power in the...Rose
Revolution in 2003.....It also threatens American
policy in the strategically important Caucasus region.
-"The Georgian people are tired of Saakashvili, who
blames Russia everywhere. There is a real stand-off
between the people and the authorities."
Georgia's importance to the US has risen since Mr
Putin succeeded at last month's Caspian Sea summit in
removing Azerbaijan as a potential base for American
military action against Iran over Tehran's nuclear
ambitions.
-Witnesses reported seeing some demonstrators dragged
bleeding into police cars. "These people are
fascists...."
---
Bush-Soros Georgian Experiment And Its 1933 Precedent.
[For the prototype, see:
Germany: The Decrees of 1933
http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob60.html
--
-Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said that emergency
rules would only imply to the capital Tbilisi. But the
actual presidential decree issued a couple of hours
after the PM Nogaideli's statement envisages emergency
rules on the entire territory of the country.
-Before the PM Nogaideli's announcement, two
pro-opposition TV channels, Imedi and Kavkasia, were
put off the air. Other TV stations continued providing
extensive coverage of the recent developments. After
economy minister Giorgi Arveladze's statement,
however, Rustavi 2 TV's news program anchor announced:
"We have to cease our program now and hope to see you
again after 15 days."
Police officers in masks and assault rifles were seen
sealing off the Imedi office. A scuffle occurred
between the protesters and the police. TV stations'
footage showed policemen beating up a mean. Riot
police also used tear gas to disperse protesters
outside the Imedi TV's office.
---

Emergency Rules in Georgia, Private TV and Radio
News Shut Down

Civil Georgia
November 7, 2007
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=16239

President Saakashvili has imposed state of emergency
on entire territory of Georgia for 15 days, economy
minister, Giorgi Arveladze, announced at 1 am local
time on November 8.

Restrictions, he said, will be imposed on
dissemination of information, demonstrations and
strikes.

As a result, news programs at all the private
television stations will be shut down for 15 days.
Publicly-funded Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) will
only be able to provide news coverage.

The presidential decree implies, Arveladze said,
"ceasing of receiving and free dissemination of
information in written or verbal forms."

"This only refers to TV and radio stations," Arveladze
specified. "Receiving and disseminating of information
will only be conducted by the Georgian Public
Broadcaster."

Newspapers and online media sources will also be able
to operate.

The parliament has to convene within the next 48 hours
and approve the presidential decree, which is already
in force.

Few hours before this statement, Prime Minister Zurab
Nogaideli said that emergency rules would only imply
to the capital Tbilisi. But the actual presidential
decree issued couple of hours after the PM Nogaideli's
statement envisages emergency rules on the entire
territory of the country.

Before the PM Nogaideli's announcement, two
pro-opposition TV channels, Imedi and Kavkasia, were
put off the air. Other TV stations continued providing
extensive coverage of the recent developments. After
economy minister Giorgi Arveladze's statement,
however, Rustavi 2 TV's news program anchor announced:
"We have to cease our program now and hope to see you
again after 15 days."

All the private TV companies, except of Imedi and
Kavkasia, continue broadcasting but without news
coverage.

Two opposition TV stations, Imedi and Kavkasia, have
gone off the air, shortly after President Saakashvili
accused Russia and "some" political parties in Georgia
of staging unrests in Tbilisi. Both television
stations were broadcasting extensive coverage of the
opposition's protest rallies.

Imedi TV was put off the air shortly after its anchor
announced in the live broadcast that police "broke
into the television."

"They are now trying to break into this studio,"
Giorgi Targamadze, an anchor and chief of the Imedi
TV's political programs said. "I want to say that
Imedi has always been the only window through which
entire Georgia could watch the truth."

Simultaneously noise was heard from outside the
studio; then lights went off and camera was switched
off. Imedi radio station was also off the air and the
Imedi's website was inaccessible.

Less than couple of minutes later another opposition
TV station, Kavkasia, also went off the air.

Unlike Imedi TV, Kavkasia is a small television
covering only the capital Tbilisi.

Imedi media holding, involving the television and
radio station is co-owned by the authorities' rival
tycoon, Badri Patarkatsishvili and the News
Corporation.

Patarkatsishvili has recently handed over management
rights of his shares into Imedi media holding to
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. for a one-year term after
he announced that was planning to finance the
opposition's campaign.

President Saakashvili said in his televised address to
the nation that the November 7 unrests in Tbilisi was
"planned there [Russia], financed from there and
implemented through the help of their friendly
oligarchs" – an apparent reference to Badri
Patarkatsishvili.

A spontaneous rally by several dozen of people, living
in the neighborhood where Imedi TV's office is
located, gathered outside the television station
chanting: "Imedi," "Imedi."

Police officers in masks and assault rifles were seen
sealing off the Imedi office. A scuffle occurred
between the protesters and the police. TV stations'
footage showed policemen beating up a mean. Riot
police also used tear gas to disperse protesters
outside the Imedi TV's office.

"Emotions are high and it is necessary to prevent
politicians from making any remarks that may further
escalate tensions," MP Maia Nadiradze, the leader of
parliamentary majority, said while commenting on
reasons behind restricting news coverage.
------------------------------------------

Geopolitical Significance Of Georgia To West, With 'Color' Catalogue

End of the Rose Revolution as riot police are sent in
to quell protests

Tony Halpin in Moscow
The Times (London)
November 8, 2007
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2826196.ece

[Excerpts]

The Rose Revolution in Georgia unravelled in a haze of
teargas last night as riot police broke up protests
and the pro-Western President declared a state of
emergency.

Mikhail Saakashvili accused Russia of attempting to
destabilise Georgia, while special forces troops fired
teargas and rubber bullets and used water cannon on
demonstrators in running battles in the capital,
Tbilisi.

The violence is the most serious challenge to Mr
Saakashvili since he swept to power on a wave of
popular support in the pro-democracy Rose Revolution
in 2003. It also threatens American policy in the
strategically important Caucasus region.

Mr Saakashvili is strongly pro-American and has
clashed repeatedly with President Putin in his efforts
to move Georgia out of Russia's orbit and into Nato
and the European Union. Last night he declared a
15-day state of emergency across the country. Police
stormed two opposition television stations later and
closed them down.

Authorities also declared three Russian diplomats
personae non gratae and recalled Tbilisi's ambassador
in Moscow for urgent consultations.

"Georgia is facing a very serious threat of unrest,"
Mr Saakashvili said in a televised address to the
nation. "High-ranking officials in Russian special
services are behind this."

Opposition politicians blamed Mr Saakashvili, accusing
him of corruption and authoritarian rule, and pledged
to redouble efforts to oust him. Salomé Zourabichvili,
a former ally and Foreign Minister, who was dismissed
by the President, said: "The Georgian people are tired
of Saakashvili, who blames Russia everywhere. There is
a real stand-off between the people and the
authorities."

The US has poured huge sums into supporting Mr
Saakashvili....[B]ut many Georgians complain that they
have yet to see any tangible improvement in their
daily lives.

The confrontation threatens to present Washington with
a choice of supporting an increasingly unpopular
leader or watching a key ally slide into chaos at a
critical moment.

Georgia's importance to the US has risen since Mr
Putin succeeded at last month's Caspian Sea summit in
removing Azerbaijan as a potential base for American
military action against Iran over Tehran's nuclear
ambitions.

The violence in Tbilisi erupted on the sixth day of
protests by a coalition of opposition parties.

The protests began on Friday when 50,000 people
gathered outside parliament. They had dwindled to
about 3,000 people by early yesterday when hundreds of
special forces troops, their faces covered by gas
masks, used batons to clear the square outside
parliament.

Running battles then broke out along the city's main
Rustaveli Avenue as teargas swirled through the air.

Police later fired rubber bullets as thousands of
people regrouped to continue protests in a nearby
square.

One opposition leader, Levan Gachecheladze, said that
the authorities had shown their true face: "truncheons
and gas. They used force against peaceful people and
they will pay for this."

The Health Ministry said that more than 360 people
were treated in hospital, most for the effects of
teargas.

Witnesses reported seeing some demonstrators dragged
bleeding into police cars. "These people are fascists,
but we're not going to stop. We'll be back tonight,
we'll be back tomorrow. We'll be back as long as it
takes," said a protester, Nino Khornauli, 55.

The demonstrations have ominous echoes of Mr
Saakashvili's rise to power in November 2003, when he
led a storming of parliament to overthrow Eduard
Shevardnadze's regime after protests over rigged
elections. The opposition is demanding early
parliamentary elections as well as the President's
resignation.

Nino Burdjanadze, the Speaker, and a close ally of Mr
Saakashvili, appealed for calm and pleaded with the
opposition to negotiate.


People power

Orange Revolution: In 2004 protesters in Ukraine
forced the Government to call a fresh ballot after a
fraudulent presidential election, bringing the
pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko to power

Cedar Revolution: Demonstrations sparked by the
assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri in February 2005 brought about the complete
withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon

Tulip Revolution: Protests in Kyrgyzstan led to the
overthrow of Askar Akayev in 2005. The new President,
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, received overwhelming support in
elections that July, but faced opposition protests
this year amid allegations of corruption

Purple Revolution: Iraqi elections in 2005 gave
promise of a revolution inspired by the purple ink
used as a measure to prevent double voting. The
continued violence in Iraq runs counter to comparisons
with other popular movements

Saffron Revolution: Anti-junta protests in Burma this
year were led by students and then by the
saffron-robed Buddhist monks. [Not true. Myanmarese
monks wear maroon-colored robes] They subsided after a
brutal crackdown