Magomed-Amin Gatagazhev, a native of Ingushetia, was released after eight months in a Croatian immigration prison. Russian authorities had requested his extradition. The refugee was accepted by the neighboring republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A rally is taking place in Tbilisi near the house of activist Nata Peradze. According to the protesters, a woman poured paint on the icon of the Matrona of Moscow in the Sameba Cathedral. The icon depicts a man resembling USSR Secretary General Joseph Stalin.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs called on protesters to maintain order. Police officers are mobilized near Peradze's house to protect public safety and law and order.
The day before, unknown persons poured paint on the icon of St. Matrona of Moscow. At the same time, only the place of the stamp with the image of Stalin was damaged by paint. Civil activist Nata Peradze said she received threatening messages after she shared video footage of the doused icon on her Facebook page on January 9. In turn, the laboratory for the study of the Soviet past demanded that the image of Stalin be removed from the main cathedral of Georgia.