Protests erupt in Georgia after government freezes EU accession process

Citizens in major Georgian cities took to the streets on 28 November, protesting the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to halt the country’s EU integration process until the end of 2028.

Source: European Pravda, citing Echo Kavkaza (Echo of the Caucasus) and SOVA.news

Details: In Tbilisi, protesters gathered outside the central office of Georgian Dream, accusing Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of violating the Constitution with his announcement to suspend EU accession talks. 

Some demonstrators, who found out about the protest through social media, also gathered near the Georgian Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue.

Protesters reportedly blocked the road in front of the ruling party's office in the city of Kutaisi, while in Batumi, they assembled in the central square.

Interpressnews reported that law enforcement has been deployed to protest sites. Clashes with police in Kutaisi have already led to several arrests.

Background:

• The protests follow the 26 October parliamentary elections, which the opposition refused to recognise. 
• After the appointment of a new government, Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would unilaterally suspend EU accession talks for several years.
• This decision came after the Georgian government adopted several controversial laws, which the EU and US criticised as democratic backsliding, leading to a reassessment of relations with Tbilisi.

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