First protesters detained on seventh day of anti-government protests in Georgia

Georgian law enforcement officers have detained several participants in anti-government protests in Tbilisi following the government’s decision to suspend Georgia’s European integration until late 2028.

Source: Ekho Kavkaza (Echo of the Caucasus), a Radio Liberty project, as reported by European Pravda

Details: This is the seventh day of anti-government protests in Tbilisi and they have so far passed off without incident.

However, special forces were deployed in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square, and police raided the Rustaveli and Freedom Square metro stations, detaining people heading to the protest.

The Georgian Internal Affairs Ministry also said that seven people were detained during searches of offices belonging to Georgian opposition parties and youth movements.

Nika Gvaramia, head of the Coalition for Change, was among those detained. He was taken to a temporary detention centre 30 kilometres from Tbilisi. 

Background:

• Protests in Georgia have been continuing for nearly a week following the prime minister's statement pausing discussions on EU accession negotiations until 2029.
• The Baltic states have already announced sanctions against Georgian officials involved in dispersing protests, including oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, de facto leader of the ruling party.

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