Eight individuals protesting against the construction of the Namakhvani hydro power plant (HPP) in western Georgia have been detained after a clash between protesters and police in the village of Gumati last night, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia said.
The protesters, who moved from the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to Rioni gorge on May 26, were holding a demonstration at an artificial iron barrier erected in Gumati village.
Protesters pounded the wall with their hands for several hours last night to make noise. They tried to cross the iron wall and move towards the construction site, but police prevented them from doing so, Agenda.ge reported.
Demonstrators in Gumati stopped protesting in the early morning. Law enforcers still remain behind the iron wall erected on the spot.
For now, both access roads to the Namakhvani HPP remain closed. Protesters say they will not allow construction company equipment to enter the village, while locals are free to move.
