In a significant escalation, police in Georgia have raided the offices of several opposition parties as part of efforts to suppress ongoing protests against the ruling Georgia Dream party’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.
For six consecutive nights, thousands of demonstrators have gathered in the capital, Tbilisi, leading to confrontations with police, who have deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Protesters have responded by throwing fireworks and erecting barricades in the city center.
On Wednesday, the Coalition for Change party announced that its leader, Nika Gvaramia, had been arrested. A video shared on X showed Gvaramia being carried down steps by multiple individuals. Meanwhile, police also conducted a raid on the offices of the Youth Organisation of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), as reported by party leader Levan Khabeishvili.
The UNM issued a statement condemning the Georgian government’s actions as “all-out terror and repression against opponents.” Additionally, two members of another opposition party, Strong Georgia, were reportedly detained.
Images broadcast on local television captured the arrest of the leader of the Akhali liberal opposition party and a raid on the offices of the Droa party. These actions followed Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s recent declaration to crack down on what he described as “radical” political forces believed to be organizing the protests. “It is clear that these violent actions are entirely coordinated by the radical opposition. No one will escape accountability, including the politicians hiding in their offices,” he stated.
Further protests were planned for Wednesday evening, with demonstrators vowing to continue their actions. Al Jazeera’s Dmitry Medvedenko, reporting from Tbilisi, noted that police were stationed near the parliament building to prevent protesters from advancing. “It is the seventh night of protests here in Tbilisi. Many protesters have expressed that the arrest of Gvaramia will not deter them from returning night after night,” he said.
Earlier, pro-European Union President Salome Zurabishvili criticized the Georgia Dream party for allegedly shutting down “shops selling protective gas masks, goggles, and helmets,” leaving peaceful protesters without essential safety equipment.
Early on Wednesday, police cleared demonstrators from Tbilisi’s main avenue outside the parliament, using tear gas and water cannons and pursuing fleeing individuals throughout the city, resulting in multiple arrests. The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs reported that “11 protesters, three journalists, and one police officer” were hospitalized due to injuries sustained during the clashes.
Since the protests began on Thursday, over 300 individuals have been detained, with more than 100 requiring medical treatment. Demonstrators accuse the government of betraying Georgia’s aspirations for EU membership, a goal supported by approximately 80 percent of the population according to recent polls.
Georgia’s public ombudsman, a former opposition politician, alleged on Tuesday that police mistreatment of detained individuals amounted to torture, raising serious concerns about the treatment of protesters during these turbulent times.
