Georgian Parliament eases security measures after protests, downgrades to yellow alert

The leadership of the Georgian Parliament has downgraded the red security level, which had been activated during the protests on November 28, to a yellow level as of today, December 6.

This new alert level comes with some restrictions for visitors, though less stringent than the previous "red" alert, which only allowed access to parliament with permission from the chief of staff after a threat assessment, Caliber.Az reports via Georgian media.

The relaxation of security measures follows the planned committee and plenary sessions.

However, following the protests, significant damage was reported, including shattered windows on the ground floors and fires in several offices. Speaker Shalva Papuashvili confirmed on December 1 that up to fifty rooms were damaged, and the heating and cooling units in the central building of the Parliament were destroyed.

A peaceful protest took place on December 5, though it saw a sudden disturbance when a group of unidentified youths arrived with fireworks and began launching them at the parliament building. Despite a significant police presence, officers did not intervene, and the situation quickly calmed, with only a few demonstrators remaining as many had already left the area.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the detention of five individuals, including one foreign national, for their involvement in organizing and participating in mass disturbances during the protests in Tbilisi. The detainees were accused of resisting police and actively participating in the unrest, throwing objects at officers. Authorities also seized mobile phones, computer equipment, military clothing, gas masks, firearms, cash, and memory cards during searches of their homes.

The individuals face potential prison sentences of up to nine years. In total, 23 people have been arrested on various criminal charges related to the protests in Tbilisi.

The protests have continued for a second week, following the Georgian government’s decision to halt negotiations regarding European Union accession.

By Tamilla Hasanova