The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced that 48 people were detained as a result of the crackdown on the protest action on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi.
Points of attention
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced the detention of 48 people, including well-known figures, during the protests in Tbilisi.
- The opposition in Georgia demands the release of political prisoners and new parliamentary elections to address the crisis in the country.
- The violent dispersal of peaceful protests in Tbilisi by Georgian security forces has sparked controversy and condemnation from the Ombudsman.
- Security forces detained a famous athlete, Zurab Datunashvili, during the protests, leading to further unrest and demands from opposition political associations.
- The government of Georgia justifies the mass roundups and arrests of opposition leaders as actions against 'liberal fascism', sparking debate and international reactions.
What is known about the dispersal of anti-government protests in Tbilisi by Georgian security forces
The department noted that the detained persons are accused of "petty hooliganism" and "disobedience to the police".
According to the media, Beka Korshia, a journalist of the opposition TV channel "Mtavari" is among those detained.
He was detained after he walked away from the parliament building on one of the nearby streets.
The security forces released the detained deputy of the Coalition for Change party, Tsotne Koberidze, because he had an active parliamentary mandate and corresponding immunity.
Koberidze says that during the detention he was insulted and beaten, but later the police treated him appropriately.
It is also reported that the former Minister of Economy Zurab Alavidze and his son are among those detained.
At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia cynically stated that they dispersed the protests in response to alleged aggression by the rally participants.
The Ombudsman of Georgia states that before the start of the violent crackdown, the action was peaceful and there were no grounds for interfering with the freedom of assembly.
What is known about the detention of famous persons during the protests in Georgia
During the anti-government protests in Tbilisi, due to the refusal of the pro-Russian Georgian authorities to continue negotiations on European integration, security forces beat and detained the famous athlete, the winner of the 2020 Olympics, Zurab Datunashvili.
It is noted that the 33-year-old athlete was detained by the police, who put him in a patrol car.
Момент затримання в Тбілісі дворазового чемпіона світу з боротьби Зураба Датунашвілі, який відкрито підтримує протести і бере участь в акціях.
— Сергій Погребецький (@pogrebeckij) December 4, 2024
32-річний Зураб Датунашвілі — триразовий чемпіон Європи, дворазовий чемпіон світу, бронзовий призер літніх Олімпійських ігор 2020 року. pic.twitter.com/lfie2V9z71
Four opposition political associations of Georgia, which overcame the passage barrier in the parliamentary elections, but do not recognize the legitimacy of the parliament, published a joint statement.
The oppositionists are directly addressing the founder and honorary chairman of "Georgian Dream" Bidzina Ivanishvili with demands, the fulfillment of which, in their opinion, is necessary to get out of the crisis in the country.
The opposition demands:
immediately release all political prisoners detained during the actions and stop all cases against them;
call for new parliamentary elections to be held by a new, independent electoral body, and ensure the political neutrality of law enforcement agencies.
The head of the government considers the mass roundups and arrests of opposition leaders and activists to be justified, claiming that in this way the authorities are eradicating "liberal fascism" from the country. Kobakhidze also called the statement of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding the events in Georgia "disinformation".
