In Georgia, a large protest was dispersed again, resulting in dozens of injuries and around a hundred arrests among the demonstrators.

This is reported by “Echo of the Caucasus”, Newsgeorgia, and JAM News.

As on the previous day, protesters are being dispersed with water cannons and tear gas, with journalists among the injured. Meanwhile, the demonstrators attempted to build barricades from anything they could find: benches, trash cans, tires, and even electric scooters.

The protesters tried to fend off police attacks, and in addition to constructing barricades, they launched fireworks towards the law enforcement officers to keep them at bay.

Video footage also captured moments of beating already injured protesters during the clashes. Dozens of demonstrators sustained injuries.

The protest lasted a total of seven hours. During this time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia reported the detention of 107 protesters. In total, around 150 protesters have been arrested over the past two days. Additionally, 10 law enforcement officers are reported to have been injured.

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili described the scale of the current protests as “unprecedented” and urged the police to “not raise their hands” against the protesters.

“Neither on [Rustaveli Avenue] nor in other cities is anything happening that requires your involvement and dispersals, therefore the responsibility for all of this lies solely with you and your superiors. Let your superiors think about it,” she addressed the law enforcement officers.

What is happening in Georgia?

The Georgian opposition does not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections, where the “Georgian Dream” party won. International observers noted that the voting was marred by unequal conditions, pressure, and tension. Georgian law enforcement has opened 47 criminal cases regarding potential crimes associated with the parliamentary elections. In particular, charges have been brought against two suspects who threw a whole stack of ballots into a ballot box at one of the polling stations.

The European Parliament did not recognize the results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia and demanded new elections. However, the Tbilisi court dismissed all claims from opposition political forces and public organizations that sought to invalidate the final protocols of the district commissions.

The opposition parties in Georgia announced an indefinite street protest demanding new parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, the “Georgian Dream” unilaterally approved a new parliament, set the date for presidential elections, nominated their candidate, and declared their refusal to negotiate EU accession until 2028.

This last decision sparked a new wave of protests, which turned into clashes. In the early hours of December 29, Georgian special forces violently dispersed a protest outside the parliament, with dozens of people, including journalists and politicians, being beaten and detained.