Residents of Toria village held a protest in front of the police station in Akhalkalak today. As reported jnews.ge, they were demanding the release of detained young people against whom the court had selected arrest as a pre-trial measure.

Today, the district court of Akhalkalak held an online court hearing over the brawl that took place in the grazing field of Toria village in Ninotsminda region and initially imposed two-month custody against the apprehended.

“We want the court to release our sons. We were told that the court would release them, but now it turns out that it’s going to keep them in custody. We demand that the court release the young people because they defended a child. While we were haying, there was a problem, the Turks attacked us and beat a child,” one of the protesters told JNEWS.

From morning until 3 p.m. the residents of Toria village were waiting for the court’s decision. According to them, the local authorities of Ninotsminda had promised that the three young people apprehended in Toria village would be released, but the court ruled to arrest them. They told JNEWS that the participants of the August 23 brawl are in liberty in Ninotsminda.

“My son has a disabled arm. The Turk hit him. Can you tell me how a Turk can come and hit my son? We have been haying on these century-old lands, but Turks come here and tell us not to. The police brought us here by convincing us,” another protester said.

The residents of Toria village left the premises of the police station under the condition that the boys are released in 4-5 days, and if they aren’t released, they will take other actions.

On August 23, there was a brawl between the residents of Toria village of Ninotsminda town and the Azerbaijani newcomers. The Azerbaijani newcomers grazed their sheep on the lands for reaping that belong to the villagers, who drove the cattle out of the lands, after which a brawl took place. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has launched an investigation.