Protests that began in Georgia after the government announced the suspension of negotiations with the European Union (EU) until the end of 2028, has been continuing 13 days.
Protesters took to the streets after the statement of the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze on the freezing of negotiations on the entry of the country in the EU for 4 years.
Along with the ongoing protests in Batumi, thousands of protesters gathered again at night in Tbilisi to express their discontent by the decision of the government.
Demonstrators who overwhelmed traffic on Shota Avenue Rustaveli at the parliament building also demanded to free the detainees during protests in Tbilisi.
Promotion participants, as in the previous days, began to diverge after midnight.
bodily harm detected in 157 detainees
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman of Georgia Levan Ioseliani said that he continues to visit the detainees in their places.
He noted that he was talked with 327 detained during the protests, 225 of which indicated an improper appeal with them. More than 157 detainees revealed bodily harm, said the Ombudsman.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who held a press conference the night before, accused the police of applying violence and pressure against demonstrators.
In turn, the Georgian State Security Service announced plans to disrupt the presidential elections planned in the country on December 14, by applying violence during the ongoing demonstrations in Tbilisi.
The government’s decision on the suspension of European integration
Protest shares began in Tbilisi and other cities of Georgia after the statement of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that the republic will not begin to negotiate in the EU until the end of 2028.
On November 28, Kobahidze said that some European politicians intervene in the internal affairs of Georgia and blackmail Tbilisi with grants. “Taking all this into account, we decided not to raise the question of the start of negotiations with the EU for discussion until the end of 2028,” said the head of the Georgian government.
In protest against the decision of the government, residents of other cities entered the streets. Georgian media write that after the government’s decision to suspend European integration, the ambassadors of Georgia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Bulgaria and South Korea resigned from their posts.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on the introduction of sanctions against 19 representatives of the Georgian authorities, including the Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the leader of the ruling party “Georgian Dream” Bidzina Ivanishvili. The US State Department also allowed the introduction of additional sanctions against Georgia.