More than 400 arrested since the start of anti-government protests in Georgia

MADRID Dec. 9 () –

The Georgian authorities have reported this Sunday that more than 400 people have been arrested in the protests against the Georgian Dream Government that have been taking place in the country since its prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced the suspension of protests at the end of November. the accession negotiations to the European Union.

“We want to remind the public that (…) 372 people have been administratively detained and proceedings have been initiated against them, of which 62 have already been sentenced to administrative prison terms, and more than 100 have been fined as a form of punishment. There are judicial proceedings underway against the rest of the people,” the Ministry announced in a statement published on its website.

Additionally, since November 28, more than 150 police officers have been injured with conditions such as “burns, fractures and head injuries” and “many” of them have required surgery.

On the other hand, around 60 cases of robbery have been recorded in “shopping centers, stores, open-air bars, restaurants and supermarkets”, in which “various equipment, money, clothing and other objects” have been stolen, he reported. the Ministry.

Thus, based on its obligation to ensure “the holding of peaceful meetings and demonstrations” and prevent “crime” during them, the Ministry has shown its support for the prohibition of the use of “masks” in gatherings, an initiative announced this Sunday by the leader of the Georgian Executive.

“We are going to pass a law prohibiting face covering by various means during rallies by rally participants, including participants in counter-rallies,” said Kobakhidze, who hopes this will take place in a few days and can be fully implemented at the end of the month.

The prime minister made this announcement despite ensuring that the protests are “subsiding” because they have “completely lost their content.” “No one can say what they are protesting against. Everyone has heard again that the Government has not stopped the country’s European integration and, secondly, they cannot demand what really matters to them, since they have already lost the ninth elections (. ..) In these circumstances, these actions of the radical opposition have no perspective, they are subsiding and not everything will end without glory for them,” he noted.

Demonstrations continue in the country as the prime minister faces the opposition and the country’s president, Salomé Zurabishvili, who insist that institutions have been “hijacked” since the October 26 elections and demand that a new electoral process that provides a solution to the internal crisis.

However, Parliament has already approved the call for the presidential elections, which will take place on December 14 and will end Zurabishvili’s mandate as head of state, despite the fact that the president has stressed that she will not leave office until repeat the elections, which ended with the victory of the Georgian Dream government party by a narrow margin and amid complaints of fraud.