Georgia's turbulent protests challenge EU relations
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has confirmed that 107 people were detained during the brutal dispersal of the protest. It is unknown how many of them were injured. Georgian media have published shocking recordings online depicting the brutality of the security services.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that "the protest action went beyond the scope of peaceful assemblies and became illegal."
Brutal suppression of protests
On Saturday morning, the police finished dispersing the protest on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. It lasted nearly seven hours. In the morning, security forces pushed demonstrators back to the metro station, surrounding them with a cordon. Arrests occurred there.
Georgian media are publishing recordings depicting the exceptional brutality of the security forces.
The recording shows officers kicking a man lying on the ground in the face. In the background, the screams of terrified people can be heard.
NewsGeorgia channel reports that several journalists resigned from cooperating with the government-loyal TV company Rustavi2 due to the harsh suppression of pro-European protests in the country.
address by the President of Georgia
"The fortress is crumbling from the inside. Now it's the public broadcaster's turn" - wrote Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on her Facebook page.
Later in a televised statement, Salome Zurabishvili assessed that the protests ongoing since Thursday are a "unprecedented movement."
- It's obvious that no one wants to accept a Russified Georgia; a Georgia deprived of its constitution, or a Georgia in the hands of an illegal government and parliament - quotes the statement of the leader of the Georgian state from OC Media.
- I can say that today a resistance movement has begun - added Zurabishvili and emphasized that its goal is to return Georgia to the EU path by holding new parliamentary elections. The election results from last month, which the ruling Georgian Dream officially won, are not recognized by either the head of state or the Georgian opposition.
Zurabishvili called on the preventive police to "not raise a hand" against protesters.
Already on Friday, the Georgian Prime Minister praised the security forces for dispersing the first protest, "today, special forces acted even more harshly, beating those on the ground, and even those who had lost consciousness" - Georgian media report.
Georgia says "no" to the European Union
In the early hours of Friday, around 9 PM Eastern Time, officers began pacifying the protest using, among other things, water cannons and tear gas. According to official data, 43 people were detained, and several dozen demonstrators were injured, including about 20 journalists - reported the NewsGeorgia portal.
Demonstrations also occur in other Georgian cities, including Batumi and Kutaisi.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on Thursday that Georgia will not engage in negotiations on joining the EU nor accept EU budget grants until the end of 2028. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili declared that the government has thus declared war on its own people.
