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<\/picture><\/div>\nFILE PHOTO: A man holds a US flag during a rally
\non the Day of National Unity in Tbilisi, Georgia
\n<\/span>\u00a9\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Vano SHLAMOV \/ AFP<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe Georgian government said on Monday it had interrogated agitators from a US-funded group planning to unleash a violent color revolution. The group was previously involved in the 2003 civil unrest in the country.<\/p>\n
The head of the ruling party explained that he is seeking an explanation from Washington. The US embassy in\u00a0Tbilisi didn\u2019t deny bankrolling the outfit, but said its activities\u00a0were about\u00a0supporting Georgian democracy.<\/p>\n
According to Georgia\u2019s State Security Service (SUS), three Serbian nationals from the organization called CANVAS arrived in Georgia last week and met with local activists at a Tbilisi hotel to train them how to\u00a0\u201coverthrow the government by violent means.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nThe\u00a0\u201cdestructive and illegal actions\u201d<\/em>\u00a0would target the government, security services, and the Orthodox Church, using techniques such as roadblocks and setting up protest encampments in front of government buildings, the SUS said. CANVAS activists also showed examples from Serbia on how to invade the parliament, take broadcasting services offline, and overthrow the government, according to the security agency.<\/p>\nWhen questioned by the SUS on September 29, Sinisa Sikman, Jelena Stoisic, and Slobodan Djinovic allegedly\u00a0\u201ctried to disguise the real reason for their stay in Georgia\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and provided testimonies that contradicted evidence obtained by the investigators. The trio left Georgia the following day.<\/p>\nCommenting on the SUS report, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze told local media on Monday that the US should explain why it is funding possible unrest in Georgia.<\/p>\n
In a statement later in the day, the US embassy in Tbilisi said the accusations against CANVAS are\u00a0\u201cfalse and fundamentally mischaracterize the goals of our assistance to Georgia.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0US aid to Tbilisi has always been\u00a0\u201ctransparent,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the embassy insisted, adding that CANVAS was contracted by USAID more than two years ago to\u00a0\u201cdeliver training to mothers advocating for better cancer treatments for children, and to people advocating for the rights of elderly citizens in their communities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe US will\u00a0\u201ccontinue to support Georgian organizations who support people to secure the future they determine and deserve,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the embassy added.<\/p>\nCANVAS stands for Center for Applied Nonviolent Strategies, and its mission is to\u00a0\u201cadvocate for the use of nonviolent resistance in the promotion of human rights and democracy,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0according to the group\u2019s\u00a0website<\/a>. It was co-founded by Djinovic and Srdja Popovic, two prominent members of Otpor, a US-backed student group that played a key role in the October 2000 coup in Serbia.<\/p>\nA similar\u00a0\u201ccolor revolution\u201d<\/em>\u00a0overthrew the Georgian government in 2003, with former Otpor activists coaching the Georgian copycat group Kmara. After the 2004 \u2018Orange Revolution\u2019 in Ukraine, The Guardian described the process as an American-devised\u00a0\u201ctemplate for winning other people\u2019s elections.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Georgian government said on Monday it had interrogated agitators from a US-funded group planning to unleash a violent color revolution. The group was previously involved in the 2003 civil unrest in the country.<\/p>\n
The head of the ruling party explained that he is seeking an explanation from Washington. The US embassy in\u00a0Tbilisi didn\u2019t deny bankrolling the outfit, but said its activities\u00a0were about\u00a0supporting Georgian democracy.<\/p>\n
According to Georgia\u2019s State Security Service (SUS), three Serbian nationals from the organization called CANVAS arrived in Georgia last week and met with local activists at a Tbilisi hotel to train them how to\u00a0\u201coverthrow the government by violent means.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The\u00a0\u201cdestructive and illegal actions\u201d<\/em>\u00a0would target the government, security services, and the Orthodox Church, using techniques such as roadblocks and setting up protest encampments in front of government buildings, the SUS said. CANVAS activists also showed examples from Serbia on how to invade the parliament, take broadcasting services offline, and overthrow the government, according to the security agency.<\/p>\n When questioned by the SUS on September 29, Sinisa Sikman, Jelena Stoisic, and Slobodan Djinovic allegedly\u00a0\u201ctried to disguise the real reason for their stay in Georgia\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and provided testimonies that contradicted evidence obtained by the investigators. The trio left Georgia the following day.<\/p>\n Commenting on the SUS report, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze told local media on Monday that the US should explain why it is funding possible unrest in Georgia.<\/p>\n In a statement later in the day, the US embassy in Tbilisi said the accusations against CANVAS are\u00a0\u201cfalse and fundamentally mischaracterize the goals of our assistance to Georgia.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0US aid to Tbilisi has always been\u00a0\u201ctransparent,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the embassy insisted, adding that CANVAS was contracted by USAID more than two years ago to\u00a0\u201cdeliver training to mothers advocating for better cancer treatments for children, and to people advocating for the rights of elderly citizens in their communities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The US will\u00a0\u201ccontinue to support Georgian organizations who support people to secure the future they determine and deserve,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the embassy added.<\/p>\n CANVAS stands for Center for Applied Nonviolent Strategies, and its mission is to\u00a0\u201cadvocate for the use of nonviolent resistance in the promotion of human rights and democracy,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0according to the group\u2019s\u00a0website<\/a>. It was co-founded by Djinovic and Srdja Popovic, two prominent members of Otpor, a US-backed student group that played a key role in the October 2000 coup in Serbia.<\/p>\n A similar\u00a0\u201ccolor revolution\u201d<\/em>\u00a0overthrew the Georgian government in 2003, with former Otpor activists coaching the Georgian copycat group Kmara. After the 2004 \u2018Orange Revolution\u2019 in Ukraine, The Guardian described the process as an American-devised\u00a0\u201ctemplate for winning other people\u2019s elections.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n