Finnish Foreign Minister fined $1,800 for ‘blocking the road’ after visiting Tbilisi protest

Georgia’s Interior Ministry fined OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen for ‘blocking the road’ after she appeared at a daily anti-government protest in central Tbilisi on Tuesday.
Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed to OC Media that Valtonen was fined ₾5,000 ($1,800) — the same penalty frequently imposed on participants in the ongoing anti-government protests.
Furthermore, the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced concern regarding Valtonen’s visit, issuing a protest note to the OSCE Secretariat and participating states. In its note verbale, the Foreign Ministry states that, beyond the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) program, Minister Elina Valtonen joined a street protest organised by a small group of anti-government activists who had been freely, though illegally, blocking the main avenue of Tbilisi on October 14. Public statements made by Minister Valtonen, which do not reflect the reality, constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the international community regarding the situation in Georgia.