On July 23, 2004, around 3,000 traders from Batumi’s central market held a protest outside the building of the Supreme Council of Adjara. They opposed being relocated to a new marketplace and demanded a meeting with Levan Varshalomidze, who had been appointed just three days earlier as Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, following Aslan Abashidze’s resignation.

According to the newspaper Kviris Palitra, instead of Varshalomidze, the traders were met by Koba Khabazi, who was unable to offer any concrete solutions. Protests soon spread through the streets of Batumi. Varshalomidze later stated that an investigation would identify the organizers of the rallies, who would then be held accountable.

On September 1, traders gathered again to protest the relocation of the Batumi market to the city outskirts. Early that morning, Adjara’s special police units entered the market and ordered vendors to evacuate, but the traders refused to leave. According to Adjara’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Davit Glonti, nine police officers were injured in clashes. That night, traders stayed inside the market. At dawn on September 2, around 500 special forces officers re-entered the building and forcibly removed the remaining protesters, leaving 13 people injured.