Giorgi Gachechiladze, a singer and a host of Maestro TV’s show, Cell No. 5, held an open air “protest concert” in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic, on May 20 marking launch of his campaign of “march on Tbilisi” expected to culminate on May 26 in the capital city with the “public parade.”

A protest rally led by some of the opposition leaders, accompanying Giorgi Gachechiladze, including Gubaz Sanikidze, Levan Gachechiladze (brother of Giorgi Gachechiladze); Tina Khidasheli and Davit Berdzenishvili was held before the “protest concert.”

Gachechiladze, who is brother of an opposition politician, Levan Gachechiladze, plans similar protest concert in Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia.

Meanwhile, a pro-opposition Tbilisi-based Maestro TV said live broadcast transmission equipment, which it rented in Turkey to provide live coverage of protest concert and a rally in Batumi, was “held” by the authorities and customs clearance procedures “deliberately” dragged out in order to thwart planned live coverage from Batumi. Maestro TV reported that the customs service told the television station’s representatives that the equipment would be handed over on May 21.