Georgia arrests over 20 people protesting outside parliament

The Georgian Interior Ministry has announced that 22 people were arrested during a protest in Tbilisi.

The rally was held outside the parliament building on December 3. All arrests were made on administrative grounds. The detainees were taken to various detention centres and will stand trial, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The protest, which began peacefully, later escalated into clashes with the police. Security forces were forced to push demonstrators away from the parliament building, using tear gas and water cannons. A new wave of protests erupted in Georgia on November 28, triggered by a statement from Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

He announced that the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party had decided to exclude any discussions on EU accession from the agenda until the end of 2028 and to reject all budgetary grants from the EU.

The prime minister added that the decision was driven by ongoing blackmail from the EU over the start of accession talks, demands to annul a series of laws passed by the Georgian parliament, and calls for sanctions against the Georgian government.

By Naila Huseynova