Georgian police detain opposition leader amid protests

Georgian police detained Nika Gvaramia, the leader of the Coalition for Change opposition party, on Dec. 4 amid government crackdowns as pro-EU protests in the country continue.

Gvaramia was dragged out by police from the party's office and shoved into a car in Tbilisi as authorities conducted searches against multiple opposition parties as well as non-governmental organizations.

The latest wave of protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party broke out last week after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of the South Caucasus' EU accession process until at least 2028.

Over 330 people have been arrested during the ensuing crackdown as tens of thousands have joined the demonstrations, with police attempting to disperse the rally with teargas, water cannons, and arrests. In turn, the protesters have set up barricades and shot fireworks toward the riot police.

Dozens have been injured during the crackdown, including journalists covering the rally. Pro-EU President Salome Zourabichvili, a critic of Georgian Dream who joined the protests, said that the "majority of the arrested protesters have injuries to their heads and faces, broken face bones, eye sockets, open wounds."

Gvaramia, the former head of an opposition TV channel, previously served 13 months in jail for abuse of authority, charges that Amnesty International deemed as "politically motivated." Zourabichvili granted Gvaramia a presidential pardoned in June 2023.

Georgian Dream, which declared victory in the October elections broadly disputed by domestic opposition and international observers, has been accused of democratic backsliding and dragging Georgia into the Kremlin's orbit.

The prime minister previously thanked law enforcement services for preventing a "Maidan" from taking place in Georgia. This was a reference to Ukraine's EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014-2014, where mass pro-EU demonstrations led to the ousting of pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych.

Protests in Georgia, explained

For the fifth day in a row, Georgians are holding massive protests against their government in the country’s capital, Tbilisi. The brewing dissatisfaction was ignited by the country’s democratic backsliding under the leadership of the pro-Russian, increasingly illiberal government. The final straw…

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court

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