For the Fourth Night in a Row, Georgia Sees Confrontation Between Pro-EU Protesters and Police
Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, issued a warning to demonstrators in Tbilisi, stating that they “will be met with the full rigor of the law.”
Police in Georgia clashed with protesters for a fourth consecutive night after the ruling Georgian Dream party suspended talks about joining the European Union for four years.
President Salome Zourabichvili called for the annulment of the recent elections, alleging rigging under Russian influence. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze cautioned protesters against any unlawful acts.
Violent clashes on Saturday night led to 44 hospitalizations following police intervention with water cannons and tear gas.
Demonstrators converged outside the parliament, hurling stones and setting off fireworks, even burning an effigy of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream.
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Reports indicated continued clashes on Sunday night, with police utilizing forceful measures against protesters in Tbilisi.
Katie Shoshiashvili, a senior researcher at Transparency International, denounced the police’s crackdown on protesters, describing it as brutal and inhumane.
The situation escalated further on Sunday night, with police dispersing most of the protesters, leaving only a small group in the vicinity of a metro station.
Quoting the Georgian Interior Ministry, Interfax reported that 113 police officers sustained injuries during the unrest.
The EU and the US expressed concerns over Georgia’s perceived pro-Moscow stance following the suspension of its EU accession process.
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