An American citizen arrested in Georgia amid fierce protests in the South Caucasus nation has told Newsweek that he and others are marching to prevent the country's Russia-aligned government from 'opening the door to authoritarianism.'Patrick Hernandez-Ball, a 29-year-old from Los Angeles, who has been living in Georgia for several years and considers the country a 'second home,' recounted his violent arrest by state security forces earlier this week.
I think at first, they thought I was Georgian, and I was lying to them, because I didn't have my passport or ID. I insisted I was American and that I wanted a lawyer. After a bunch of intimidation, they wrote up a report and I refused to sign it.'Having been moved to a second facility, Hernandez-Ball said his situation improved.'I was there for two days,' he said. 'I had no issues with it. They were very respectful, professional, I got food, I got a place to sleep.