On March 12 of this year, a fire broke out in a tent on Rustaveli Avenue, in front of the Parliament. Upon receiving the information, the relevant units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived at the scene. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

“According to eyewitnesses — activists Gocha Bashelishvili (born 1996) and Roman Yatsenko (born 1975) — they were inside one of the tents set up in front of the Parliament during the night when, for unknown reasons, the tent caught fire.

They were able to extinguish the fire on their own fairly quickly. As a result of the incident, no one was injured.

An investigation into the fire is being conducted under Part 2 of Article 188 of the Criminal Code, which covers damage to or destruction of property due to careless handling of fire or a source of increased danger. Accordingly, Gocha Bashelishvili and Roman Yatsenko were taken to the police for questioning. Breathalyzer tests confirmed that they were under the influence of alcohol.

As part of the investigative actions, another person who was present at the scene — Darejan Tskhvitariya — was also brought in for questioning.

All relevant investigative measures are being carried out in connection with the incident, including an inspection of the scene, during which the tent damaged by the fire was seized. Additionally, for extra safety, the surrounding perimeter was cleared,” the statement reads.