Protests in Georgia Have Lasted for Six Days
Man uses bazooka-type device to launch fireworks in Georgia, Dec. 2024. X/ @Ad_Couly
December 4, 2024 Hour: 9:02 am
The Interior Ministry accused protesters of throwing blunt objects, pyrotechnic devices, and flammable items.
On Tuesday, the police used water cannons and tear gas to control pro-European protesters demonstrating for the sixth consecutive night in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
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Last week, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze postponed negotiations regarding Georgia’s accession to the European Union until 2030. This decision immediately sparked public protests.
Kobakhidze, whom critics accuse of having pro-Russian tendencies, blamed his political opponents and NGOs for “orchestrating the violence” in these demonstrations, which he claimed were “funded from abroad.”
On Tuesday night, thousands of people gathered in Tbilisi to protest, launching fireworks at Parliament and the police. The Interior Ministry accused protesters of throwing “blunt objects, pyrotechnic devices, and flammable items.”
President Salome Zurabishvili, who supports her country’s integration into the European Union and backs the protests, condemned the police for their disproportionate use of force, including mass arrests and mistreatment.
Levan Yoseliani, the National Human Rights Commissioner, accused the police of “acts of torture” against the protesters after visiting detained citizens, many of whom had “severe injuries” to their heads or eyes.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court rejected a petition from President Zurabishvili and chose to uphold the enforcement of the October legislative elections.
The government accuses the West of attempting to draw Georgia into a conflict with Moscow, warning of scenarios similar to Ukraine’s Maidan events in 2013.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: RT – Sputnik
