By AFP
December 1, 2024
The government has stoked outrage by delaying EU membership talks - Copyright AFP Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE
Léa DAUPLE
Like many supporters of Georgia’s political opposition, 32-year-old Ani Bakhturidze worries the government is leading her country away from Europe and “towards Russia”.
Since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October elections which the opposition said were fraudulent, the government has stoked outrage by delaying EU membership talks.
“We voted for European Union, we voted for freedom, we voted for human rights, and what is our government doing? It’s doing everything against it, and that’s why we’re out,” said Bakhturidze, shouting to make herself heard among thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital Tbilisi on Saturday.
They came for the third night running to protest the decision by Georgian Dream, which they accuse of seeking closer ties with Moscow.
Wrapped in a heavy coat against the cold, Bakhturidze said she thought the opposition would win the parliamentary elections.
But Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012, came out on top according to results the pro-European opposition has rejected.
The outcome made Bakhturidze feel “desperate”, she said, adding that some people she knows have started talking about leaving the country.
But she plans to stay and resist, along with the thousands who have taken to the streets in the capital and elsewhere in the Black Sea country.
“We somehow find strength in ourselves”, she said, adding that otherwise, “everybody will forget about us and not speak about Georgia”.
– ‘Devastated’ –
The former Soviet republic has been rocked by waves of protests since the spring. But each time, the demonstrations have run out of steam, with no real victory for the opposition.
In April, large-scale rallies were held to protest a “foreign influence” law that opponents said mirrored repressive Russian legislation — but it was passed anyway.
Since then, further legislation restricting the rights of LGBTQ people has been enacted.
“Whenever I hear something new that they (the government) announced, I feel devastated”, said Ketevan Bakhturidze, a student who was also at the protest.
“But when I come here, I find people that think like me, that act like me, and it’s easier to cope and to fight, and it gives me strength,” she said.
Protests have also become a place to socialise for her generation, she explained, adding that she has met many of her friends while demonstrating.
“It would be really funny sometimes, if it wasn’t so sad.”
– ‘Hope’ –
On Saturday, police cracked down violently on the demonstrators, using water cannon and tear gas to disperse them.
“Even if they beat me up, even if they arrest me, I don’t care. There’s nothing else I can do right now, and I have to come here,” said 21-year-old Bakhturidze.
Nikolozi Chargeishvili, also 21 and a landscaper, stood a few metres from a police cordon wearing a long leather coat and a colourful gas mask around his neck.
He said he feels “so strong” standing among the gathered protesters and that he thinks the authorities stand “no chance”.
Nino Barliani, 29, said she knows the rallies are unlikely to topple the government but that the opposition will eventually win.
“Hope is why I stand here today. We believe in the future,” she said.
Zack Chkheidze, a 40-year-old art professor, has been taking part in demonstrations for more than a decade.
“I don’t need hope, it’s my country. If I don’t fight, no one will.”
Thousands gather in Georgia for fresh pro-EU protests
By AFP
November 30, 2024
Critics accuse Georgian Dream of moving the country away from Europe and closer to Russia - Copyright AFP Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE
Léa DAUPLE, Irakli METREVELI
Thousands of people gathered in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Saturday for a third night of protests against the government’s decision to postpone European Union membership talks until 2028.
The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in an October 26 parliamentary election that the pro-European opposition said was fraudulent.
Outside the parliament building in central Tbilisi, crowds of protesters chanted and waved EU and Georgian flags.
“My future depends on what Georgia will do right now,” 22-year-old protester Anna Kaulachvili told AFP.
More than 100 people were arrested during violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters the night before, with police firing a water cannon and tear gas at demonstrators.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on Thursday that Georgia would not seek accession talks with the EU until 2028 ignited a furious reaction from the opposition.
Critics accuse Georgian Dream — in power for more than a decade — of having steered the country away from the bloc in recent years and of moving closer to Russia, an accusation it denies.
Hundreds of public servants, including from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence and education, as well as a number of judges, issued joint statements protesting Kobakhidze’s decision.
Some 160 Georgian diplomats criticised the move as contradicting the constitution and leading the country “into international isolation”.
– ‘Resistance movement’ –
On Friday, AFP reporters saw riot police fire water cannon and tear gas at pro-EU protesters gathered outside parliament, who tossed eggs and fireworks.
Clashes broke out later between protesters and police, who moved in to clear the area, beating demonstrators, some of whom threw objects.
“I extend my gratitude to the minister of internal affairs and every police officer who yesterday defended Georgia’s constitutional order and safeguarded the nation’s sovereignty and independence,” Kobakhidze told a news conference on Saturday.
Georgia’s special investigation service said it had opened a probe into “allegations of abuse of official authority through violence by law enforcement officers against protesters and media representatives”.
Independent TV station Pirveli said one of its journalists was hospitalised with serious injuries.
Protests were also held in other cities across Georgia on Friday, independent TV station Mtavari reported.
“I am afraid — I won’t hide it — that many people will get injured, but I am not afraid to stand here,” 39-year-old Tamar Gelashvili told AFP near the parliament building earlier.
More than a hundred schools and universities suspended academic activities in protest.
Pro-Western opposition parties are boycotting the new parliament, while President Salome Zurabishvili — who is at loggerheads with Georgian Dream — has sought to annul the election results through the country’s constitutional court.
“The resistance movement has begun… I stand in solidarity with it,” she said in a televised address on Friday evening.
– ‘Deep concern’ –
After the October vote, a group of Georgia’s leading election monitors said they had evidence of a complex scheme of large-scale electoral fraud.
Brussels has demanded an investigation into what it said were “serious” irregularities reported by election monitors.
Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously Thursday for Kobakhidze to continue as prime minister, even as the opposition boycotted parliament, deepening a serious legitimacy crisis at the legislature.
“Police actions in Tbilisi mark another punitive attack on the right to peaceful assembly,” said Amnesty International.
France, Britain, Ukraine, Poland, Sweden and Lithuania were among the countries to voice concern.
The human rights office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said: “The action of law enforcement officials while policing peaceful protests in Georgia is of deep concern and a serious breach of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”
“The disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force impacted a large number of protestors and journalists during protests in which the overwhelming majority of demonstrators were peaceful.”
Georgia police arrest dozens in clashes with pro-EU protesters
By AFP
November 29, 2024
Thousands have taken to the streets to protest the government's decision
- Copyright AFP Atta KENARE
Police in Georgia arrested dozens of people overnight and early Friday in a violent crackdown on protests against the government’s decision to delay EU membership talks.
The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling party declared victory in October parliamentary elections that the pro-EU opposition decried as falsified.
On Thursday night and Friday morning, riot police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse gatherings outside parliament in Tbilisi, beating peaceful protesters and journalists, an AFP reporter witnessed.
The interior ministry said 32 of its staff were injured and “43 individuals were detained by law enforcement for disobeying lawful police orders and for petty hooliganism”.
Thousands of people took to the streets after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party shelved plans to pursue membership of the European Union until 2028.
The opposition has accused Georgian Dream of steering Tbilisi away from its long-held dream of joining the bloc and gravitating towards Russia.
Two politicians from the opposition Coalition for Change, Elene Khoshtaria and Nana Malashkhia, were reportedly injured during the protests.
Khoshtaria sustained a broken arm, while Malashkhia suffered a broken nose, the coalition said.
Prominent poet Zviad Ratiani was among those arrested, the PEN writers’ association in Georgia said, demanding his immediate release.
The Council of Europe condemned what it described as the “brutal repression” of protesters, urging Georgia to remain “faithful to European values”.
Ukraine and Poland said Friday they were “disappointed” by Tbilisi’s decision to pause EU accession talks, with Kyiv accusing the Georgian government of trying to “please Moscow”.
– Post-election crisis –
Opposition lawmakers are boycotting the new parliament, while Georgia’s pro-EU president, Salome Zurabishvili, has sought to annul the election results through the country’s constitutional court.
The prime minister’s announcement to delay EU accession came hours after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s October 26 elections, alleging “significant irregularities”.
The resolution called for a new vote within a year under international supervision and for sanctions to be imposed on top Georgian officials, including Kobakhidze.
Accusing the European Parliament of “blackmail”, Kobakhidze said: “We have decided not to bring up the issue of joining the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.”
But he pledged to continue implementing reforms, adding: “By 2028, Georgia will be more prepared than any other candidate country to open accession talks with Brussels and become a member state in 2030.”
On Thursday, Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously for Kobakhidze to continue as prime minister.
But constitutional law experts say any decisions made by the new parliament are invalid, because it is still awaiting a court ruling on Zurabishvili’s bid to annul the election results.
On Wednesday, the ruling party nominated far-right politician and former international footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili for the largely ceremonial post of president, further ratcheting up tensions.
The former Soviet country officially gained EU candidate status in December 2023, an aspiration that is supported by 80 percent of the population, according to polling.
But earlier this year Brussels froze Georgia’s accession process, citing the need for Tbilisi to address what it says is democratic backsliding.
Police in Georgia arrested dozens of people overnight and early Friday in a violent crackdown on protests against the government’s decision to delay EU membership talks.
The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling party declared victory in October parliamentary elections that the pro-EU opposition decried as falsified.
On Thursday night and Friday morning, riot police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse gatherings outside parliament in Tbilisi, beating peaceful protesters and journalists, an AFP reporter witnessed.
The interior ministry said 32 of its staff were injured and “43 individuals were detained by law enforcement for disobeying lawful police orders and for petty hooliganism”.
Thousands of people took to the streets after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party shelved plans to pursue membership of the European Union until 2028.
The opposition has accused Georgian Dream of steering Tbilisi away from its long-held dream of joining the bloc and gravitating towards Russia.
Two politicians from the opposition Coalition for Change, Elene Khoshtaria and Nana Malashkhia, were reportedly injured during the protests.
Khoshtaria sustained a broken arm, while Malashkhia suffered a broken nose, the coalition said.
Prominent poet Zviad Ratiani was among those arrested, the PEN writers’ association in Georgia said, demanding his immediate release.
The Council of Europe condemned what it described as the “brutal repression” of protesters, urging Georgia to remain “faithful to European values”.
Ukraine and Poland said Friday they were “disappointed” by Tbilisi’s decision to pause EU accession talks, with Kyiv accusing the Georgian government of trying to “please Moscow”.
– Post-election crisis –
Opposition lawmakers are boycotting the new parliament, while Georgia’s pro-EU president, Salome Zurabishvili, has sought to annul the election results through the country’s constitutional court.
The prime minister’s announcement to delay EU accession came hours after the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution rejecting the results of Georgia’s October 26 elections, alleging “significant irregularities”.
The resolution called for a new vote within a year under international supervision and for sanctions to be imposed on top Georgian officials, including Kobakhidze.
Accusing the European Parliament of “blackmail”, Kobakhidze said: “We have decided not to bring up the issue of joining the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.”
But he pledged to continue implementing reforms, adding: “By 2028, Georgia will be more prepared than any other candidate country to open accession talks with Brussels and become a member state in 2030.”
On Thursday, Georgian Dream MPs voted unanimously for Kobakhidze to continue as prime minister.
But constitutional law experts say any decisions made by the new parliament are invalid, because it is still awaiting a court ruling on Zurabishvili’s bid to annul the election results.
On Wednesday, the ruling party nominated far-right politician and former international footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili for the largely ceremonial post of president, further ratcheting up tensions.
The former Soviet country officially gained EU candidate status in December 2023, an aspiration that is supported by 80 percent of the population, according to polling.
But earlier this year Brussels froze Georgia’s accession process, citing the need for Tbilisi to address what it says is democratic backsliding.
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