Thursday26 December 2024
vesti.org.ua

Protests in Georgia continue, with people now being detained even in the subway (video).

"Telegraph" reports on the situation in the city.
В Грузии продолжаются митинги: задержания людей начались даже в метро (видео).

In Georgia, protests continue, where special forces have pushed demonstrators away from the square in front of the parliament building in central Tbilisi. The remaining participants of the rally have gathered near the metro station.

Local Telegram channels report this. The posts indicate that after people began to assemble at the metro, the police started making arrests.

Currently, two individuals have been detained near the metro. One of the detainees repeatedly claims to be a journalist. However, after a "check," the police still take him away. It was later revealed that the journalist in question was "მაუწყებელი" Giorgi Chagelishvili.

Mass arrests began on Monday, December 2, at the Rustaveli metro station.

The protesters, who were pushed away by special forces and police from the Rustaveli metro station, are now walking towards Vake.

Moreover, local Telegram channels have released videos showing what transpired an hour before the latest dispersal at Rustaveli.

What Preceded This

Protests erupted in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities on November 28 after the government decided to halt negotiations with the European Union regarding membership until the end of 2028, as well as to forgo EU budget grants until that time. Despite this, the "Georgian Dream" continues to assert that their goal remains for Georgia to join the European Union by 2030.

The protesters accuse the government of halting the process of European integration and demand new parliamentary elections. Georgian security forces have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Previously, "Telegraph" reported that protests in Tbilisi began as early as late October when parliamentary elections in Georgia were held. The struggle was between the ruling party "Georgian Dream," which has governed the country for 12 years, and pro-European opposition political forces. According to the Central Election Commission of Georgia, the ruling party, also considered pro-Russian, received more than 54% of the votes, allowing it to unilaterally form the government. However, the opposition and the country's president Salome Zurabishvili did not recognize the election results: there were widespread reports of ballot stuffing, fraud, pressure, assaults on opposition members and other blatant violations during the elections.