Georgia’s opposition leader was dragged out of his party office by police and other protesters vowed to bring justice to organizers of a week of pro-EU protests that the prime minister called “acts of violence”. People were physically assaulted.
Nika Gvaramia, 48, the leader of one of the four opposition groups, was carried by police by the arms and legs from party headquarters in a side street next to the parliament building in the capital Tbilisi.
Other leaders met in a hotel and decided to press ahead with a general strike, before being ambushed.
Demonstrations have been held every night since last Thursday after the ruling Georgian Dream party announced that it would halt the start of the country’s EU accession negotiations.
More than 330 protesters have been arrested, and rights groups say many have been beaten in custody, but authorities have begun pursuing opposition leaders after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s fiery briefing. did.
“Politicians who hid in their offices while organizing violence will not be able to escape responsibility for the events of the past few days,” he warned, adding that protesters were calling “liberal fascism” He accused them of spreading the word.
Protests initially erupted in late October after monitoring groups said the election was contested and marred by a series of violations.
But those ideas came to the fore last Thursday when Mr. Kobakhidze’s increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream party announced it was suspending efforts to start the country’s EU accession negotiations. Two days later, the United States suspended Georgia’s long-sought strategic partnership.
Georgian Dream has enacted increasingly authoritarian laws that target civil society and LGBT groups as well as free speech, and opposition parties say the party is trying to return Georgia to the sphere of influence of neighboring Russia. I’m accusing them of being there.
Vano Shulamov/AFPGeorgia’s interior ministry said more than 100 police officers were injured by fireworks, stones and other flying objects, while the country’s human rights ombudsman said police had committed brutality and torture against protesters. accused of being
Early on Monday morning, Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, told the BBC that protesters had no choice but to take to the streets because the alternative was to exclude their own country. , he said. Although it is within Russia’s sphere of influence, it is a kind of puppet territory. ”
He also predicted that the party’s headquarters would soon be raided by Georgia authorities, which occurred less than 36 hours later.
Other opposition leaders met for an hour in the evening at a hotel in Freedom Square in central Tbilisi and decided to strengthen cooperation and promote the general strike to the broader public.
“This is a complete terrorist campaign against freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and democracy,” Strong Georgia’s Levan Tsutkiridze told the BBC.
Another leader of the Coalition for Change, Zurab Girchi Japaridze, acknowledged that further arrests could occur and said it was not a happy feeling, adding: “We are ready for this.” I think so, but that’s definitely not the case.”
As they were leaving the meeting, some leaders were attacked in Freedom Square, and two people, including opposition leader and world champion wrestler Zurabi Datunashvili, were detained by waiting police. It was witnessed.
The opposition party announced that a total of 11 members were arrested, including Strong Georgia leader Aleko Elisashvili and two of his colleagues. The United National Movement announced that five members of its youth wing were also taken away.
Authorities also raided the home of an activist from Daitove, a large anti-government Facebook group supporting detained protesters, and later moved to the home of co-founder Nancy Worland. They also targeted activists from other movements.
Gvaramia, 46, was reportedly taken first to a detention center on the outskirts of Tbilisi, where many of the 300 detained protesters are being held, and then to another detention center in Marnouri, south of the capital. It is said that he was transferred to
Gvaramia, a former head of an opposition TV channel, served 13 months in prison for abuse of power, but was pardoned by pro-Western President Salome Zurabichvili in June 2023.
Amnesty International said at the time that the charges against him were baseless and politically motivated.
ReutersGeorgian Dream has been hit by a wave of resignations, including of ambassadors from the United States, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and other countries. The deputy foreign minister also resigned, but has so far avoided speaking publicly.
Ti Maisladze wrote in X that it was an honor to contribute to Georgia’s interests in “promoting European and Euro-Atlantic integration” and that she remains committed to Georgia’s future as part of the European Union. revealed.
Late on Wednesday night, Irakli Shaishmelashvili, who headed the unit of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department and was therefore deeply involved in the forced dispersal of the protests, resigned, citing family reasons.
The only other reason he cited came from two emojis: the Georgian and EU flags.
