Shocking moment Georgia police beat and arrest opposition leader and carry him away after Putin-friendly PM vowed to crush opponents and shelve EU membership talks
This is the shocking moment Georgian police beat and arrested an opposition leader before carrying him away during a raid on his partys offices.
This is the shocking moment Georgian police beat and arrested an opposition leader before carrying him away during a raid on his partys offices.
Opposition leader Nika Gvaramia was beaten and arrested as police raided offices of the Coalition for Change opposition party, according to live footage aired by independent TV station Pirveli.
The footage shows several officers dragging an unmoving Gvaramia being carried by the arms and legs by several men down a street in Georgias capital Tbilisi.
Coalition for Change said on X that he was thrown into a detention car as he was physically assaulted and unconscious.
Georgian media reported that police also raided the offices of several other opposition groups and non-government organisations.
This comes after the countrys prime minister, Putin-friendly Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream party, vowed to punish opponents amid protests against his decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union.
During the past six nights, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital´s central boulevard.
More than 300 protesters have been detained since Thursday and over 100 people have been treated for injuries.
Opposition leader Nika Gvaramia was beaten and arrested as police raided offices of the Coalition for Change opposition party, according to live footage aired by independent TV station Pirveli
Nika Gvaramia leader of Coalition for Changes, atop of a car, and other protesters wave Georgian national and EU flags during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on November 17, 2024
Fireworks launched by anti-government protesters explode near police forces during a sixth consecutive day of mass demonstrations against the governments postponement of European Union accession talks until 2028, in central Tbilisi on December 3, 2024
Kobakhidze said the raids targeted those who encouraged violence during protests in an attempt to topple his government. I wouldnt call this repression; it is more of a preventive measure than repression, he said.
The ruling Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the disputed October 26 election, which was widely seen as a referendum on Georgias EU aspirations.
The opposition and the pro-Western president have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with neighboring Russias help and boycotted parliament sessions.
Mass opposition protests sparked by the vote gained new momentum after the governing partys decision on Thursday to put the EU accession talks on hold.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili refused to recognize the official election results and contested them in the Constitutional Court, which rejected her appeal on Tuesday.
Zourabichvili, who plays a largely ceremonial role, has declared that she would stay on the job even after her six-year term ends later this month to lead the opposition demand for a new parliamentary election.
She urged the countrys Western partners to respond to Wednesdays wave of police raids of opposition groups by putting strong pressure on a ruling party that is driving the country over the cliff! Do not be late! she wrote on X.
The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that it meet the blocs recommendations, but put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June after the passage of a foreign influence law that was widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms.
Demonstrators participate a rally to protest against the governments decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Police uses tear gas as protesters surrounded the parliament building and threw pyrotechnics and other objects during demonstrations in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi on December 4, 2024
Anti-government protesters launch fireworks towards police during a sixth consecutive day of mass demonstrations against the governments postponement of European Union accession talks until 2028, in central Tbilisi on December 3, 2024
Demonstrators walk along a street during a rally to protest against the governments decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Wednesday, December 4, 2024
It requires organisations that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as pursuing the interest of a foreign power, similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.
The Georgian governments announcement of the EU accession talks suspension came hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing Octobers election as neither free nor fair.
On Monday, the EU reiterated its serious concerns about the continuous democratic backsliding of the country.
Kobakhidze said that his government is willing to open EU accession talks if the bloc ends its blackmail.
