MADRID Dec. 2 () –
The president of Georgia, Salomé Zurabishvili, warned this Monday that there has been “a worrying escalation” of repression during demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobajidze for its decision to suspend negotiations for accession to the European Union. .
“The peaceful demonstrations had barely begun when the repressive measures began. This represents an attack on freedom of expression and the right to protest: basic rights are violated, not to mention the way in which people are detained and how they are treated once detained,” he said on the social network X.
Security forces have attempted to disperse protesters gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in the capital, Tbilisi, with water cannons and tear gas. Police Chief Vazha Siradze explained that the charges began prematurely due to the presence of radical groups.
“They began to throw various objects and pyrotechnics, insulting the police, forcing us to start the charges and use proportional force,” he said, adding that more than 100 officers have been injured, as reported by Interpress.
The Ministry of the Interior has reported in a statement the arrest of a person under article 353 of the Penal Code for attacking police officers, a crime that carries up to seven years in prison, by attacking a water cannon with a Molotov cocktail.
On the other hand, the opposition party Coalition for Change has reported on the social network
Violent clashes between protesters and police officers have been reported during the protests. To date, several dozen people have been arrested and many other security agents have been injured.
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