TBILISI: Georgian police raided the offices of opposition parties on Wednesday after the government vowed to crack down on those organising pro-EU protests, deepening a political crisis engulfing the Black Sea nation. Tbilisi has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in an October 26 parliamentary election which opposition groups decried as rigged.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protest against the alleged fraud, with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement last Thursday that Georgia would not hold EU membership talks until 2028 sparking uproar and a fresh wave of rallies. Around 300 people have been detained and dozens, including protestors and police, injured in intense clashes outside the parliament building in central Tbilisi.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kobakhidze vowed to crack down on what he called "radical" political forces responsible for organising the protests. "It is clear to everyone that these violent actions are entirely coordinated by the radical opposition... No one will escape accountability, including the politicians hiding in their offices," he said. Moments after, Georgian police beat and arrested the leader of the Akhali liberal opposition party, while conducting a raid on the offices of the Droa party, live TV showed.
Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria said on X: "They are now in our party office, searching. Likely hoping to find something to charge some of our members with trumped-up charges." Police also raided offices of the Youth Organisation of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, one of the party leaders, Levan Khabeishvili, told journalists. UNM in a statement accused the Georgian government of launching "all-out terror and repressions against opponents".
Over six consecutive nights of protest, demonstrators have hurled fireworks at riot police, who have deployed water cannon and tear gas and charged at protesters. Thick grey fog from the tear gas canisters has blanketed Tbilisi's central Rustaveli Avenue, with several of the rallies lasting until dawn. At least 15 people were admitted to hospital after the latest demonstrations on Tuesday night, authorities said on Wednesday.
In the face of international condemnation of overuse of police force, Kobakhidze has refused to back down. He said the state would take "all necessary measures" to quash the "revolution" being plotted by the pro-Western opposition. Several demonstrators, including journalists, have been hospitalised after being brutally detained and, they allege, beaten in custody by the security forces.
Pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili accused Georgian Dream of closing "shops selling protective gas masks, protective goggles, and helmets, leaving peaceful protesters deprived of their elementary protection." Some protesters have come to the rallies equipped with gas masks. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
