Georgia police arrested several anti-government protesters on Sunday, including two prominent opposition leaders, following demonstrations demanding new parliamentary elections. Nika Melia, former chairman of one of the main opposition parties, and Gigi Ugulava, former mayor of capital Tbilisi, were arrested as thousands of protesters attempted to block a highway entrance into the capital. The public rights defender of Georgia or ombudsman , Levan Ioseliani, said that there have been instances of excessive use of force and mistreatment of protesters and journalists by the police.
Last week, Amnesty International confirmed allegations of such violence following the extension of pre-trial detention for a protester who was denied defense counsel for hours while being questioned. The medical examinations of Saba Skhvitaridze, accused of attacking police officers during the protests, found that he had injuries consistent with his claimed torture by the police.
Georgia has faced ongoing anti-government demonstrations since November following the controversial parliamentary elections and the decision of newly-elected Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to suspend membership negotiations with the EU until Tensions escalated at the end of December with the inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili as President. On February 9, , Jamaica left the Federation of the West Indies, becoming a fully-independent nation for the first time in its history.
The country did, however, remain a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Read the Constitution of Jamaica from the Georgetown University archives. On February 9, , Congress passed the first federal legislation prohibiting narcotics. The "Act to Prohibit Importation and Use Of Opium" barred the importation of opium at other than specified ports and for other than medicinal use.
Adams prevailed by a vote even though future President Andrew Jackson won more electors than him the previous November. The Twelfth Amendment to the US Constitution requires the House to determine the president if nobody secures a majority of electors. Learn more about the Election of First US federal anti-narcotics legislation passed.
