At the protests that took place in Tbilisi in the past few days, 224 people were detained for hooliganism, resistance and resisting the police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced.
The announcement states that three people suspected of attacking policemen in the performance of their official duties and causing damage to property by burning have been detained and criminal charges will be filed against them.
"Due to the illegal and violent actions of the participants of last night's gathering, 21 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were injured. Some victims suffered severe head, face and body injuries. In total, the health of 113 MUP officers was damaged in the latest actions, four of whom are still in health care facilities," the statement said, as reported by Eko Kavkaza.
It is noted that despite repeated warnings, during the rally some participants damaged the parliament building and infrastructure located on Rustaveli Avenue.
The third night protest In the Georgian capital against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union, 44 people were hospitalized, officials said on Sunday, and protests continued on Sunday night for the fourth night in a row.
Ministry of Interior Georgia announced yesterday that 27 demonstrators, as well as 16 policemen and one media worker, were hospitalized in the night between Saturday and Sunday.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of parliament on Sunday night as well, throwing stones and lighting torches, while police used water cannons and tear gas.
After four hours, the police managed to clear the area around the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue, the Georgia Today portal reported.
An effigy of the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, was burned outside parliament.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze warned that "any violation of the law will be severely sanctioned."
"Even those politicians who hide in their offices and victimize members of their violent groups will not escape responsibility," he said at a briefing on Sunday.
He repeated that it is not true that the European integration of Georgia has been stopped.
"The only thing we rejected was shameful and offensive blackmail, which was, in fact, a significant obstacle to the European integration of our country." "The government's announcement came a few hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing last month's general elections in Georgia as unfree and unfair," he said.
Kobakhidze also confirmed that the Georgian ambassador to the US, David Zalkaliani, became the last of the many diplomats who resigned since the beginning of the protests.
President Salome Zurabishvili pointed out the "inactivity of the Constitutional Court" at the press conference, pointing out that the institution has yet to convene a session.
She encouraged activists, political parties and legal experts to exert pressure on that court, which, as she stated, "has a very significant role in solving the bitter constitutional crisis."
"The court and judges have a vital role in restoring the constitutional order." Their positive decision could have annulled the election results of October 26," said Zurabishvili.
On November 19, she filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court in which she requests the annulment of the election results, and the court has 30 days to react.
The Georgian police called on parents to remove their children from the opposition rally
Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has called on parents to remove their children from a rally of opposition supporters near the parliament building in Tbilisi.
"According to the legislation of Georgia, all children have the right to enjoy the freedom of peaceful assembly, however, the current actions have many times gone beyond the framework of peaceful assembly and taken on a violent nature, so parents are urged to act taking into account the best interests of the child and protect minors from aggressive environment," the police said in a statement, RIA Novosti reports.
The victory of the Georgian Dream party in the parliamentary elections on December 26 has been contested, as the pro-European opposition does not recognize the election results and is boycotting the work of the parliament in the new convocation. Opposition parties claim that the vote was rigged under the influence of Russia, which wants to keep Georgia in its orbit.
Pro-Western President Salome Zourabishvili, who supported the protests, told AP on Saturday that her country was becoming a "quasi-Russian" state and that the Georgian Dream was controlling major institutions.
"We are not looking for a revolution. We are looking new elections but under conditions that will ensure that the will of the people is respected and not stolen again," she said.
Georgian opposition leader arrested after protests
Georgian opposition leader Zurab Japaridze of the Coalition for Change was arrested this morning, and local media released a video showing Japaridze being dragged into an unmarked police car.
Party leaders are trying to determine where the police took him, the "Georgia Today" portal reports.
The detention was preceded by a clash between police forces and demonstrators at protests sparked by the government's announcement last week that it was suspending negotiations on joining the European Union.
Baltic countries impose sanctions on Georgian officials
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will jointly impose national sanctions against Georgian officials involved in the suppression of protests in Georgia, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Cakna announced on Monday.
"The three Baltic states jointly agreed to impose national sanctions against those who suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia," he wrote on the X network.
In a joint statement published on the social network, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia say that opponents of democracy and violators of human rights are not welcome in their countries.
The Estonian government will issue travel bans to individuals responsible for human rights violations, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports.
"The Georgian people have the right to protest in defense of their rights, since their ruling party has been systematically deceiving the public for a long time. Citizens have the right to express their views through protest. The violence directed against the demonstrators is disproportionate and represents a violation of human rights," stated the statement of Minister Cakna.
Demonstrators in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, have been gathering since Thursday to protest the government's decision to suspend the EU accession process, and the authorities are using tear gas, water cannons and violence against demonstrators and journalists, according to ERR.
A day earlier, the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Callas, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, promised in a joint statement that the actions of the Georgian authorities aimed at stopping the unrest will have negative consequences for relations with the European Union.
Source: Euronwes/Georgia today/RIA
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