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Unrest as protestors take to streets of Tbilisi for 4th night over EU accession suspension.
Demonstrators in the Georgian capital Tbilisi clashed with police for a fourth successive night amid signs the protests sparked by the ruling pro-Russia Georgia Dream Party’s decision to suspend the country’s bid to join the European Union are spreading.
EU and Georgia flag-waving protesters gathered on central Rusaveli Avenue near parliament on Sunday night were hit with tear gas and water cannon after they launched fireworks at police.
Georgia’s interior ministry said 21 police officers were injured but President Salome Zourabichvili, who backs the Coalition for Change opposition, said protesters had been beaten by police in custody, citing lawyers claiming the most of them had been badly injured.
At least 44 people — 27 protesters, 16 police officers and one representative of the media — were hospitalized in violent clashes Saturday night, according to the Interior Ministry.
That came after 32 police were injured and 43 protesters were arrested overnight Thursday when people came onto the streets to express their opposition to an announcement by Georgia Dream Party Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to push back EU-accession negotiations to the end of 2028.
Kobakhidzecut took the decision in response to what he termed EU “blackmail” after it put Georgia’s candidate status on hold and cut financial support in response to the passage of a controversial GDP “foreign influence” law in May, forcing NGOs and media that receive more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as foreign agents.
Thursday’s decision triggered resignations by administration officials, the most recent of which was the country’s ambassador to the United States, David Zalkaliani, amid denials from Kobakhidze that talks with the EU had been suspended.
The United States suspended a key partnership with Tbilisi on Saturday, condemning “excessive police violence” against ordinary Georgians and saying Georgia Dream’s “various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership, which was based on shared values and commitments to democracy, rule of law, civil society, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and anti-corruption efforts.”
“By suspending Georgia’s EU accession process, Georgian Dream has rejected the opportunity for closer ties with Europe and made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin,” the State Department said in a statement.
It said integration with Europe had overwhelming support among the people of Georgia and called on the Georgian government to “return to its Euro-Atlantic path, transparently investigate all parliamentary election irregularities, and repeal anti-democratic laws that limit freedoms of assembly and expression.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Sunday the actions of Kobakhidze’s government would “have direct consequences from the EU side.”
The GDP won a parliamentary election in October that was marred by allegations of rigging and which is contested by opposing parties and Zourabichvili who are calling for the election to be re-run.
Parliament in turn elected a new president to replace Zourabichvili who was elected to a six year term by popular vote in 2018.
Zourabichvili is due to leave office Dec. 29 but has pledged she will not step down until a successor is elected “legitimately.”
(upi)