We continue our live coverage of the fallout and widespread protests that have come in the wake of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia would be halting its EU accession process.

We’re ending our live coverage for now, but will be back later for more from Georgia. You can read a summary of the day’s events here.

As the free press in Georgia comes under attack, please consider becoming an OC Media member to help support our work.

Situation on Rustaveli Avenue

Thousands of people remain on Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue, with law enforcement officers and water cannons being deployed on the scene. 

IPN earlier reported that riot police officers were deployed on Chichinadze and Chitadze streets, which neighbour the Georgian Parliament.

Salome meets with Trump

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has published a video of her having a conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Paris.

«In depth discussion with Presidents Trump & Macron. Exposed the stolen election and extremely alarming repression against the people of Georgia. Underscored the need for a strong US. The Georgian people have a friend in Donald Trump. God bless the United States of America 🇬🇪 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/w9myeFG61P

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) December 7, 2024

18-year-old activist detained

Local media, citing a friend, has reported that 18-year-old activist Sandro Kinkladze has been arrested.

His friend Natia Gabrava told RFE/RL that Kinkladze was arrested by several people after leaving his friend’s house in Tbilisi’s Varketili district. She also said that they were not wearing police uniforms.

Gabrava told media that Kinkladze was put in a car that also did not have any identifying marks belonging to a law enforcement agency.

His friends currently do not know where Kinkladze is and are trying to find him with the help of human rights activists, local media reported.

Kinkladze has been a participant in the ongoing pro-European rallies in Tbilisi.

Zourabichvili looks forward to welcoming Musk to Georgia

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has posted a photo with Tesla founder Elon Musk on his social media network X, stating that she had an excellent exchange with him during her visit to Paris and looks forward to welcoming him to Georgia. 

Excellent exchange with @elonmusk about the situation in Georgia. I look forward to welcoming him in our country 🇬🇪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/huW5sei9bE

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) December 7, 2024

TV Pirveli founder offers $25,000 reward

The founder of TV Pirveli, Vato Tsereteli, has posted on Facebook offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can provide the identity of the masked attackers who several hours ago physically assaulted a Pirveli journalist and camera operator during a live broadcast near Rustaveli Avenue.

Nino Tsilosani blames attacks by thugs on those who ‘want to misdirect the protests’

After the violent physical attacks on media representatives by masked groups, Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Nino Tsilosani, posted on Facebook saying that ‘only those who want to misdirect the protests and provoke violence, and whose mill this horror is feeding, would do this’.

‘I hope that the investigation will share information about this act of violence with us in a timely manner and that the perpetrator will be given an appropriate answer’, she claimed.

Protesters band together against ‘titushki’

A group of protesters have banded together, some armed with bats, in an apparent move to counter the unidentified masked men — known colloquially as titushkis — who have been attacking protesters, opposition groups, and journalists since last night.

The group marched through the area of today’s attacks on the opposition Coalition for Change office and a TV Pirveli camera crew, and were met with applause from several onlookers. They then marched back to the main protest site on Rustaveli Avenue.

25-year-old man reportedly detained near Tbilisi City Court

According to local media, friends and family members have stated that at approximately 19:00, law enforcement officers arrested 25-year-old Saba Tsimintia in the vicinity of Tbilisi City Court. Tsimintia had reportedly arrived to attend the court hearing of his friend, Luka Jabua, who is accused of organising violence at pro-European rallies.

Tsimintia’s relatives still do not know the reason for his arrest, local media has reported.

Speaking to media, Tsimintia’s friends recalled that several of their associates, including Tsimintia, attended the pro-EU rallies, although they did not have any conflicts with the law enforcement officers and were helping the injured demonstrators.

Georgian Dream leader denies party ties to masked attackers

The parliamentary leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, has condemned the recent attack on TV channel Pirveli’s crew in Tbilisi, calling it ‘immoral’ while ruling out that the masked attackers were law enforcement officers or Georgian Dream supporters. 

‘My subjective opinion is that those who need unrest, chaos, and new so-called “scenes” are likely behind this, but it requires an investigation’, he added. 

Despite repeated criticism from international and local rights groups, as well as the Georgian Public Defender, the Interior Ministry has consistently deployed masked units lacking identifying markers against protesters.

Actor Giorgi Makharadze attacked 

Georgian actor Giorgi Makharadze has been attacked by ‘titushki’, local media reported.

Titushki is a Ukrainian slang used to describe plainclothes security forces used to attack government critics.

According to Publika, Makharadze was attacked in Tbilisi’s Mtatsminda district.

According to Mtavari Arkhi, Makharadze was physically assaulted by around 30 individuals carrying batons. 

Makharadze told  Mtavari Arkhi that during the 10 minutes the attackers were physically abusing him, police witnessed the accident, but did nothing.

🇬🇪 🇪🇺 Popular Georgian actor Giorgi Makharadze was beaten up by bandits in the Mtatsminda neighborhood. Tbilisi, Georgia.
Video by Dato Papava pic.twitter.com/dplJ2uOCsQ

— Michael Kulakov (@mickulakov) December 7, 2024

Public Defender urges police to act after TV crew attacked 

Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani has called on police ‘to take immediate action and ensure the safety of citizens’ near Rustaveli Avenue, where the TV crew of Pirveli was attacked. 

The statement came after reports emerged that a police patrol stood inactive as the attack unfolded in their vicinity. According to PirveliIi, police did not attend the scene even as groups of masked attackers were seen nearby.

Water cannons at Liberty Square

According to IPN, water cannons have been deployed at Liberty Square. Buses have also reportedly been deployed on site, presumably carrying riot police officers.

Coalition for Change office attacked

According to local media, masked individuals broke into the office of opposition group Coalition for Change and attacked people, including member Koba Khabazi, who said that around 50 people attacked him.

JUST IN: Around 50 Titushky broke into the foyer of our Besiki Business Center, and assaulted people, including our members. This is politician Koba Khabazi, covered in blood. UK Visa & Immigration Office, NDI Georgia in the same building. #TerrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests pic.twitter.com/ANYdsj3jd6

— Coalition 4 Change 🇬🇪🇪🇺 (@CoalitionGEO) December 7, 2024

Media reported Coalition for Change members as saying the attackers were titushki.

Titushki is a Ukrainian slang used to describe plainclothes security forces used to attack government critics.

Zugdidi protesters rally for ‘prisoners of the regime’

Protesters have assembled outside the local governor’s office in central Zugdidi to show solidarity with ‘prisoners of the regime’.

The march to the protest site was led by young demonstrators carrying Georgian national flags.

‘I don’t want to live in a country where I am detained and beaten for carrying the Georgian flag […] I don’t want my children to wake up in Russia tomorrow,’ said Keti Tsirekidze, a Georgian language teacher from Chkhorotsku Municipality, during her speech at the rally, as reported by local media.

The local governor’s office was guarded by rows of police officers.

Upon arriving at the scene, protesters stretched out a large banner on the ground in front of the police guarding the building, with the words ‘Freedom to our allies!’ written on it.

TV Pirveli crew attacked during live broadcast

The crew of ‘Nodar Meladzis Shabati’ (‘Nodar Meladze’s Saturday’), a programme by the opposition-leaning TV channel Pirveli, were attacked live as they were covering the attacks of masked men, reportedly belonging to the Interior Ministry, on protesters near Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi.

One masked man violently grabbed Maka Chikhladze, Pirveli’s reporter, by covering her face with his hand before the crew went offline. 

Both Chikhladze and camera operator Giorgi Shetsiruli have visible head injuries. 

Breaking: the violent group led by the Georgian Dream attacked and beat journalists of TV Pirveli near the parliament building. They have also beaten the member of Coalition for Change #repressioninGeorgia pic.twitter.com/1YcImIyjOg

— Mtavari TV (@MtavariChannel) December 7, 2024

Before the attack, a masked man deployed what appeared to be pepper spray in the direction of the crew. 

Ckhiladze reported they said ‘you bitch, what are you filming’ after she was dropped on the ground and hit. 

Two people reportedly attacked by ‘titushki’

According to TV Pirveli, on the streets near Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue, ‘titushki’ attacked two demonstrators beating them on the ‘dark sidestreets’ of Rustaveli Avenue.

Titushki is a Ukrainian slang used to describe plainclothes security forces used to attack government critics

‘The ambulance crew has already taken the severely beaten 19-year-old man to the hospital’, media reported. ‘As for another injured person, who has serious facial injuries, doctors are currently examining him’.

According to media, both injured people say they were attacked by up to 30 masked men.

Protest renews in Kutaisi

A protest is once again taking place in Kutaisi, organised and led by local student groups. The march, with participants at the front holding a banner reading ‘No to the Violent Regime’, was joined by a group of actors from the Meskhishvili Theatre, who, in a special statement, expressed their ‘indignation’ over the ongoing ‘conflict’ in the country.

The western Georgian city is still reeling from the violent detention of a local 17-year-old boy in Kutaisi on Thursday, who reportedly lost consciousness during the incident. The rights group Partnership for Human Rights have condemned the authorities, accusing them of violating Georgian legislation by keeping the minor in detention and not letting their lawyer to meet with him privately. 

Yesterday, a group of protesters entered the Justice House in Kutaisi, distributing images of rallygoers injured during earlier demonstrations in Tbilisi to employees and urging them to strike against the violence. They were removed from the building shortly afterward.

Daily Mail: Trump might meet Zourabichvili with help of Macron

British tabloid the Daily Mail has reported, citing its source, that the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, might meet US President-elect Donald Trump in France.

‘President-elect Donald Trump is set to confront an explosive diplomatic clash during his Paris visit Saturday, with an expected meeting with the president of the [Georgia] amid street protests over the disputed election there’, the tabloid reported.

‘They’re having a meeting at Notre Dame. Macron brokered the meeting, is taking her to the meeting’, a source told the Daily Mail.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi: I expressed Ukraine’s full support and solidarity with Georgian people

After meeting with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi posted on X saying that ‘for Russia, this is not just about Georgia — it is about control of the Black Sea region, a strategic Russian goal that poses a threat to the national security of everyone in the region and across Europe’.

I met with the President of Georgia, @Zourabichvili_S, in Paris.

I expressed Ukraine’s full support and solidarity with the Georgian people, who are fighting for their dignified future, and emphasized that respecting the will of the Georgian people and preventing Ivanishvili’s… pic.twitter.com/d09B9BZqf6

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 7, 2024

Medics demand halt to and transparency over ‘catastrophic practice’ of using toxic chemicals on protesters

A group of medics and healthcare professionals have initiated an online petition, which has gathered over 900 signatures, expressing their ‘profound concern over the prolonged and widespread use’ of toxic chemical substances against protesters.

They warned that this ‘catastrophic practice’ by law enforcement would ‘further worsen the current health situation’ in the country, and called on the Health Ministry to publicly demand an end to its use. They also urged the ministry to inform medical professionals about the specific chemical agents involved to ensure adequate care for those affected.

Orthodox priest alleges pressure on clergy critical of government violence

Archimandrite Ilia Jinjolava, head of the Georgian Orthodox Christian parish in Istanbul, has alleged that Georgian authorities have begun summoning priests who recently spoke out against the violence used towards protesters, evidently to pressure and silence them. 

‘Meanwhile, dozens of priests (or bishops) who incite violence and should, in principle, face ecclesiastical punishment, roam freely’, Jinjolava complained. 

While several priests, including some high-ranking clergy, have criticised the Georgian government for its recent anti-EU stance and crackdown on ongoing street protests, the Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church, in two recent statements, condemned both the authorities and protesters for the violence and reprimanded Salome Zourabichvili for encouraging school students to voice their protests over the matter.

Religious representatives: Georgia deserves to be free

Representatives from several religious minority groups have joined the ongoing protest in Tbilisi after marching to the Parliament building with a banner reading ‘Together for Real Peace’.

‘When someone is tortured, Christ is being tortured! When girls are sprayed with cold water cannons, Christ is being sprayed! When a person is threatened with rape, Christ is being threatened with rape! This is a violation of human dignity! Our homeland, Georgia, which we all love so much — Shiites, Sunnis, Jews, Christians of various denominations: Orthodox, Protestants, Catholics, and others — […] deserves to be free’, Malkhaz Songulashvili, Archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, addressed the crowd while standing behind the banner. 

Artists in solidarity 

More than 500 artists worldwide — including filmmakers, theatre practitioners, musicians, writers, academics, performers, and cultural workers — have joined an online petition to express ‘solidarity with Georgian artists and the people of Georgia amid the ongoing police brutality’.

‘The resistance of the people of Georgia against Russian imperialism remains insufficiently recognised. This statement seeks to draw attention to the persistent oppression faced by the people of Georgia and their enduring fight against totalitarian regimes. Right now, artists, activists, and cultural workers in Georgia are at the forefront of the uprising movement against an oppressive and brutal regime’, the statement read.

Clergy from various faiths protest in Tbilisi

Clergy of various denominations led a procession in Tbilisi from Republic Square to Rustaveli Avenue while carrying a banner ‘Together towards real peace’. They showed support for the other protesters, condemning the government’s violence towards peaceful demonstrators, attack on the rule of law, and ‘betrayal of the country's historic choice’.

"Together towards real peace" - representatives of various religious groups in Georgia marched today in Tbilisi, condemning violence on peaceful protesters, attack on the rule of law, and "betrayal of the country's historic choice". #GeorgiaProtests
📹 Khatia-Juda Psuturi pic.twitter.com/NpBDS9U3DE

— Civil.ge (@CivilGe) December 7, 2024

Zourabichvili meets with Zelenskyi in Paris

President Salome Zourabichvili has shared images of her meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on her social media pages. The meeting was reportedly held in Paris, where she recently departed to.

In her post published on the X platform, Zourabichvili thanked her Ukrainian counterpart for his ‘steadfast and unwavering support for the Georgian people’. 

Thank you, President @ZelenskyyUa , for your steadfast and unwavering support for the Georgian people

Our nations’ fight for independence, freedom, and a European future will prevail - there is no alternative 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/DNxC2XKDkN

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) December 7, 2024

Today's meeting took place in the run-up to the planned reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, attended by dozens of world leaders, including US President-elect Donald Trump.

Chichinadze, Tskhadadze, and four others sentenced to two months pre-trial detention

Local media has reported that actor Andro Chichinadze, comedian Onise Tskhadadze, and four other people have been sentenced to two months of pre-trial detention by Tbilisi City Court as a preventive measure on charges of participating in group violence.

Convoy from southern Georgia to join protests in Tbilisi 

According to Civil.ge, dozens of protesters with cars are driving from Dmanisi, in southern Georgia, in a convoy to join protests in Tbilisi against the government’s EU U-turn.

"We will meet on Rustaveli Avenue" - protesters from Dmanisi, Kvemo Kartli region in southern Georgia, drive in a convoy to join protests in Tbilisi. Rallies have been held in over 35 Georgian cities/towns over the past 10 days. #GeorgiaProtests
📹 Lasha Chkhvimiani pic.twitter.com/2cNYiwRjdz

— Civil.ge (@CivilGe) December 7, 2024

Rustaveli Avenue closed

Thousands of protesters have gathered in front of the Georgian Parliament for the 10th day to protest against the government’s EU U-turn, closing Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue.

Participants of the protest march that started from Tbilisi State University have also arrived at Parliament.

UNICEF Georgia urges authorities to respect the rights of children

UNICEF Georgia has reminded the Georgian authorities of their responsibility to ensure that the rights of children to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and to freedom of peaceful assembly are protected and respected in a post on X.

pic.twitter.com/JGFqYy9mRb

— UNICEF Georgia (@unicefgeorgia) December 7, 2024

Large demonstration held in Batumi 

According to Batumelebi, thousands of people are holding a protest rally in support of those detained during the demonstrations against the government’s EU U-turn.

Local media reported that demonstrators are currently marching towards the Adjara Police Headquarters.

Mdinaradze: suspension of visa liberalisation is out of the question 

The ruling Georgian Dream’s Executive Secretary, Mamuka Mdinaradze, has stated at a press briefing that ‘suspending visa liberalisation is out of the question’, IPN reported.

‘They [the opposition] consider this [possible suspension of the visa free regime] a lifeline, so that they can boil the situation in Georgia before the inauguration of the US president [Donald Trump], and this is what the demand to start a conversation serves’, he said.

According to RFE/RL, the suspension of visa liberalisation by the EU is still being considered in Brussels in response to the anti-democratic and anti-Western steps of the ruling Georgian Dream government.

The meetings of the EU Foreign Affairs and General Affairs Councils are scheduled for 16-17 December, media reported.

Demonstrators march from TSU to Rustaveli Avenue

A few thousand people are marching from Tbilisi State University (TSU) in the Vake district to Rustaveli Avenue in downtown Tbilisi to join other demonstrators in front of the Georgian parliament building.

Bank of Georgia issues statement on detained employee, refuses to strike

One of the biggest banks in the country, Bank of Georgia, has stated that one of their employees, Vako Alavidze, was detained yesterday by law enforcement officers.

‘Violence against protestors is categorically unacceptable to us! For the Bank of Georgia, there is no alternative to the path to European integration!’ the statement read.

According to Netgazeti, Alvidze’s father, Nikoloz Alavidze, was also detained with him.

Media has reported that Nikoloz Alavidze held the position of Deputy Minister of Economy in 2019, under the ruling Georgian Dream government.

In the comments section under the original post about Alavidze, Bank of Georgia, stated that ‘a strike in the banking sector will primarily harm ordinary citizens’.

‘Our position is clear — there is no alternative to moving towards European integration!’ the comment read.

‘The uninterrupted, non-stop operation of banks is extremely important in the everyday lives of all of us. Managing available funds, making transactions, withdrawing money, and other banking services carry a critical load for customers. Just as the shutdown of a hospital or other essential services — the disruption of bank services may create livelihood problems for many people’.

Rally at Tbilisi City Court in support of detained artists

A group of actors, members of the arts community, and supporters have gathered in the courtyard and halls of Tbilisi City Court to express solidarity with actor Andro Chichinadze, stand-up comedian Onise Tskharadze, and other detainees.

At the ongoing hearing, the court is considering the imposition of pre-trial preventive measures against Chichinadze, Tskharadze, and four others charged with group violence.

Protesters say riot police forced them to praise head of Special Tasks Department 

According to local media, riot police demanded that two protesters detained during the demonstrations against the Georgian government’s EU E-turn praise on video the head of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department, Zviad (Khareba) Kharazishvili. The department is responsible for riot police.

According to Netgazeti, Misha Metreveli told them that after riot police physically assaulted him and another detainee, law enforcement officers turned on a camera and demanded the detainees, including Metreveli, repeat the phrase ‘Khareba is a cool man’. After Metreveli refused, he claimed the officers continued to assault him.

Netgazeti also reported that Data Kharaishvili, a translator beaten by riot police and discharged from the clinic on 5 December, said that ‘they forced us to say “long live Khareba” and if you didn’t say it, they would come and beat you up’.

Gakharia urges international partners to target Georgian leadership with sanctions

In his press briefing today, Giorgi Gakharia, chair of the opposition For Georgia party, appealed to Georgia’s international partners to act decisively instead of making statements. 

‘Outrage is no longer enough. Today, the citizens of Georgia who are fighting for the values of freedom and democracy deserve concrete action and support from you. This support should be expressed not just through statements and indignation, but through direct sanctions against those who are oppressing the Georgian citizens’, Gakharia said. 

In the same press briefing, he accused his former ally, the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, of having ‘taken the law enforcement system hostage and, by [ordering] illegal orders to them, taking basically hostage over 500 youth that are now detained’. 

‘They are illegally detained and are Ivanishvili's hostages’, Gakharia claimed. 

‘Today, the law enforcement system and the police serve not the citizens or the homeland, but the whims of one deranged individual’, he said.

European Commission: ‘Georgia made no progress towards further visa policy alignment’

The European Commission’s seventh report on the ‘visa suspension mechanism’ stated that ‘Georgia made no progress towards further visa policy alignment’.

‘On the contrary, with the signature of the visa waiver agreement with China in April 2024 the divergence with the EU visa policy increased’, the report read.

According to the report, Georgia claims that, since it does not share any direct land border with the EU, its lack of visa policy alignment does not pose a risk for the EU in terms of irregular migration or security. 

‘However, the Commission recalls that visa policy alignment is a key objective for all countries in the EU’s neighbourhood and with EU membership goals. Therefore, the Commission expects Georgia to make progress on visa policy alignment’.

According to the report, in 2023, the number of Georgian nationals found to be irregularly staying in Member States rose by 12%, with 24,595 people in 2023 against 22,005 in 2022. The number of refusals of entry issued to Georgian nationals decreased by 8%, from 4,015 in 2022 to 3,680 in 2023.

Court sentences two protesters to pre-trial detention

Local media has reported that Tbilisi City Court Judge Davit Mgeliashvili has sentenced 18-year-old student Saba Jikia and another detainee, Anzor Kvaratskhelia, to two months in prison as a preventive measure.

The investigation charged Jikia with assault on a police officer, which carries a prison sentence of up to seven years, RFE/RL reported.

Kvaratskhelia is reportedly accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement officers.

Neither Kvaratskhelia nor Jikia agree with the charges.

Ombudsman: detainees stated police abused them during detention and transportation

According to the Georgian Public Defender, Levan Ioseliani, some of the detainees out of 34 he visited at the Sagarejo and Tbilisi detention centres stated that police had abused them while being transported as well as in the detention centre.

He noted that several of the detainees had visible injuries. 

Ioseliani provided information about all the facts to the Special Investigation Service, the statement said.

‘The Ministry of Internal Affairs should also pay attention to the issue of the loss of the detainees’ belongings by law enforcement officers, as some of the detainees indicate that the police are no longer returning the phones and other personal belongings confiscated during detention’, the Public Defender’s Office said in a statement.

According to media reports, Ioseliani said he also visited opposition aligned Mtavari Arkhi journalist and government critic Beka Korshia. According to Ioseliani, Korshia does not have any physical injuries.

Health Ministry: nine protesters taken to hospital

The Ministry of Health stated that during yesterday’s overnight protest, nine protesters were taken to medical facilities.

The protesters suffered various injuries including chest and upper limb trauma, upper limb fractures, superficial injuries, and intoxication.

‘Two patients continue to receive treatment in clinics under the supervision of doctors. Their lives are not in danger. The rest have been discharged from medical facilities’, the statement read.

This data includes only the number of those hospitalised by the Emergency Situations Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre of Georgia

Chichinadze pleads not guilty, says case against him is politically motivated

Actor Andro Chichinadze, who is being held on charges of participating in group violence, has pleaded not guilty and said the case against him is politically motivated, his lawyer Tornike Migineishvili has reported. 

According to local media, Migineishvili said that he will file a motion at the trial to release Chichinadze without a preventive measure, since, according to him, the actor has not committed any crime.

Migineishvili added that there was no evidence in the case that would prove the actor’s guilt and that there was no victim in the case.

Social Justice Centre: no grounds for dispersing demonstrators

The Social Justice Centre, a local rights group, has reported that during yesterday’s overnight protest ‘the Interior Ministry once again brutally dispersed the demonstrators’.

'There were no grounds for interfering with the freedom of assembly and expression of the demonstrators, as the protest was peaceful and non-violent’, the statement read.

According to the organisation, law enforcement officers violated the procedural requirements for the use of special means.

‘The use of water cannons was also illegal, as it was preceded by the deployment of riot police on both sides of the territory adjacent to the parliament and the encirclement of citizens, thereby restricting the ability of the participants of the protest to leave the place of protest’.

According to them, law enforcement officers massively and without reason abducted and detained people, including citizens who were away from areas of conflict and were going home, ‘which in itself excludes the implementation of these actions for the purpose of protecting public safety and preventing lawlessness’.

10th day of protests in Kutaisi

Students have reportedly gathered in the courtyard of Akaki Tsereteli State University in Kutaisi to protest against the ruling Georgian Dream’s decision to halt the country’s EU membership bid. 

The demonstrators also included students from Kutaisi International University. 

According to Mtavari Arkhi, the students are demanding new elections and the release of ‘regime prisoners’. 

The students plan to march through the city streets where they will join protesters gathered outside the local government building at 17:00. 

Protester with epilepsy briefly detained, suffering injuries

Local media has reported that 19-year-old Sandro Bukia, who has epilepsy and was detained by riot police yesterday, has been released. His family reported that he has multiple injuries to his head, face, and body.

Bukia’s mother told riot police during his arrest that he has epilepsy, but the officers did not take her words into account, media reported.

His uncle also spoke to media, stating that Bukia was released on his own recognisance and that he was supposedly originally detained on administrative charges after being accused of petty hooliganism.

Mtavari Arkhi: Beka Korshia missing for four hours

According to opposition aligned media outlet Mtavari Arkhi, famous journalist and government critic Beka Korshia was missing for four hours; neither they nor his lawyer could locate him. 

Mtavari Arkhi reported that Korshia is currently being held under administrative arrest, although it is not yet known under what specific charges Korshia is accused of.

According to Mtavari Arkhi, the lawyers assume that, based on current practice, he will be charged with petty hooliganism and disobedience of the police.

Korshia’s lawyer, Viktor Kvitatiani, who is a representative of  Transparency International — Georgia, stated that Korshia is being detained illegally.

Woman dies in car accident on way to rally in Tbilisi

The insurance company GPI Holding has announced that their colleague, a young woman, died in a car accident while going to a protest rally. 

The first edition of the statement said that she was going to the demonstration ‘to help her child who was at a protest rally when she was involved in a car accident’ but the statement was edited at the request of the family, according to the second version of the statement.

According to both versions of the statement, the deceased woman’s mother was also in the car and has been taken to the clinic with multiple fractures.

‘It is a great pain for us to realise that the current events threaten the most important thing — a person’s life’.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has also reacted to the post on her personal Facebook, writing that she shares the ‘grief of the family and the grief of all of Georgia’. 

‘Remember everyone who does not share the pain and suffering of their own people today and even mocks them, that time reigns!’ she wrote. 

Lithuanian Foreign Minister suggests European embargo on police equipment

Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, has stated that during the protests in Belarus, when protests were brutally beaten by the authorities, there was ‘a European embargo on exports of equipment used for committing the abuse’, suggesting that European countries should ‘do the same for Georgia, as soon as possible’. 

When protestors were brutally beaten in Belarus, there was a European embargo on exports of equipment used for committing the abuses. We can, and should, do the same for Georgia, as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/iv6YxBBgqW

— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) December 7, 2024

Prosecutor’s Office charges six people

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has charged six people with ‘participating in group violence’.

According to the investigation, the defendants participated in group violence during the ongoing demonstrations on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, as a result of which ‘several individuals’ received injuries.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the property of both individuals and legal entities was damaged and destroyed, including infrastructure at Tbilisi City Hall.

If found guilty, they face imprisonment from four to six years.

The Prosecutor’s Office noted that it will apply to the court within the time limit established by law with a motion to impose a preventive measure on the defendants.

Anonymous outlines mission to unite against Georgia’s ‘oppressive and illegitimate regime’

Anonymous, an international collective of hackers, has outlined their mission to unite against ‘the oppressive and illegitimate regime in Georgia’. 

‘This illegal government has crossed the line, silencing dissent and resorting to authoritarian measures to maintain their grip on power.

We cannot and will not stand by while freedom and justice are trampled. This is a call to all hackers, activists, and defenders of liberty worldwide: let us show the illegitimate government of Georgia the power of collective action and the true weight of cyber resistance’, the collective wrote on X.

According to them, there are three main items to their mission:

• Expose their corruption, lies, and illegal activities.
• Disrupt and take down their propaganda and oppressive tools.
• Amplify the voices of the oppressed and give them a platform.

‘Together, we can hold them accountable and remind the world that no government can escape the will of the people. Our tools are knowledge, solidarity, and action. Their illegitimacy will not go unchallenged’, Anonymous wrote. 

Women leaders express support for Zourabichvili and the Georgian people

Over ten women world leaders — including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, and President of Kosovo Vyosa Osmani-Sadriu — have signed an open letter expressing their solidarity with the Georgian people and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili. 

The letter highlighted Zourabichvili’s actions, including standing with the protesters and rejecting the unconstitutional actions of the ruling Georgian Dream party, calling her the ‘sole legitimate leader in a country where the current government came to power through questionable elections’.

The leaders called on the international community — including the EU, foreign governments, and multilateral organisations — to take ‘immediate and decisive action’ and to ‘support President Zourabichvili’s mandate and provide robust support to Georgian civil society’. 

‘Georgia is not an isolated case: it is a critical battleground in the global struggle between authoritarianism and democracy. As women leaders, we call on the international community to act decisively to protect Georgia’s democracy and the unwavering courage of its people and its President’, the letter read.

Protests organised abroad

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has shared a list of demonstrations that have been organised over the coming days in solidarity with Georgia. Today, rallies have been organised in Nantes, The Hague, Thessaloniki, Nuremberg, and Prague. 

We need your support … Georgia’ s freedom needs your support pic.twitter.com/g9uZiD7CPx

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) December 6, 2024

Georgian opposition groups announce march from TSU to Rustaveli Avenue at 17:00

During a press briefing this morning, representatives of Georgia’s opposition groups announced a march from Tbilisi State University (TSU) to Rustaveli Avenue at 17:00 in support of the ‘Generation of Dignity’. 

‘Let us be many. The way to defeat, to end this regime of the “Georgian Dream” is universal unity, universal unanimity, and reaching the point of the great strike, the great universal disobedience, when the regime will finally collapse and give up’, Giorgi Vashadze, one of the leaders of the Unity — National Movement coalition said.  

Also at the briefing, Coalition for Change member Nana Malashkhia called on public officials to resign and clearly and firmly state their position.

‘We call on public officials to condemn the various crimes against the absolute majority of peaceful demonstrators, journalists, members of political parties, and leaders’, Malashkia said, adding that ‘they should also clearly condemn the change in the country's Euro-Atlantic course, the violation of Article 78 of the Constitution, the suspension of Georgia's membership in the European Union, and join, also openly, the general public demand, and this demand is to call new elections’.

MIA: 48 arrested during last night’s rally

Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that 48 people were detained by law enforcement officers during last night’s rally for ‘disobedience to the legal request of the police officer and petty hooliganism’.

According to them, police officers were verbally abused, stones and various heavy objects were thrown in their direction, and pyrotechnics were used, leading to one Ministry employee being injured. 

The Interior Ministry also announced that they had arrested two more people on charges of participating in group violence: I.K. (DoB 1995) and a citizen of a foreign country S.K. (DoB 1997).

According to the Ministry, the investigation established that ‘during the protests on Rustaveli Avenue, the defendants carried out violent actions as a group, resisted and disobeyed the legal demands of the law enforcement officers, and threw various objects in their direction’.

The statement also noted that within the framework of the ongoing investigation, 28 people in total have been arrested. 

Estonian Foreign Minister: ‘the masks have fallen from this Georgian Dream’

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahka has told CNN that ‘the masks have fallen from this Georgian Dream or Georgian government’, emphasising that the violence against peaceful demonstrators is ‘not something we can accept’. 

‘Putin’s have been public, meaning the restoration of the Soviet Empire, he's doing that and also of course using the military aggression against Ukraine. It is everything what we witness daily, already more than a thousand days, but also the neighboring countries as Georgia’, Tsahka said, noting that he agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi that ‘we need to stand together’.

Weimar Triangle to take appropriate measures at the EU level and reconsider bilateral relationships 

The Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, and Poland — a coalition of countries commonly referred to as the Weimar Triangle — have published a joint statement emphasising that ‘it was the Georgian Dream’s course of action since the beginning of 2024 […] has has, in turn, led to the downgrading of our relationship with Georgia’.

The statement condemned the ‘disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters as well as the targeting of the opposition and media representatives’ and noted that the steps taken by the authorities ‘expose Georgia to external and internal instability’. 

‘We deplore raids of offices of opposition parties and civil society organisations, arrests of members of political opposition and call for their immediate release. Fundamental rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, must be upheld and protected as per Georgia’s Constitution and international commitments’. 

The Foreign Ministers ended their statement by announcing that they would raise this matter at the next Foreign Affairs Council in order to ‘take appropriate measures at the EU level’ and would, in addition, ‘consider the consequences of the actions of the Georgian Dream for our respective bilateral relationships’.

Mtavari Arkhi journalist detained

Beka Korshia, a journalist and anchor at Mtavari Arkhi was detained yesterday evening. Mtavari Arkhi reported this morning that Korshia had been transferred to Zahesi Detention Centre in Tbilisi. 

The media outlet this morning also released a statement calling for Korshia’s release, emphasising that their media team has ‘long been the target of retaliation’ by the Georgian Dream party. 

‘We call on Ivanishvili’s illegitimate government to immediately release the journalist and anchor of Mtavari Arkhi, Beka Korshia, and investigate the fact of his illegal detention.

The Mtavari Arkhi team also expresses solidarity with all citizens and fellow journalists from other media outlets who were affected by the crackdown on the protest. We are fighting together for the country’s Euro-Atlantic future, we are steadfast and purposeful in this fight’, their statement read. 

Estonian MP reiterates call for sanctions and new elections

The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, Marko Mihkelson, has called for sanctions on ‘Russian oligarch Ivanishvili and his puppet government in Georgia’ and for ‘new and free elections’. Mihkelson also criticised Finland and Austria for meeting with ‘Georgia’s self-proclaimed foreign minister’. 

Every day matters. The free people of Georgia 🇬🇪 are waiting for support from Western countries. The best course of action is to impose sanctions on the Russian oligarch Ivanishvili and his puppet government in Georgia, and to push for the organization of new and free elections.… https://t.co/Be7dXOgDPC

— Marko Mihkelson (@markomihkelson) December 6, 2024

GYLA: rally dispersals have entered a ‘new stage of police terror’

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) has released a statement calling the dispersal of the rally last night a ‘new stage of police terror’. 

GYLA noted that police officers again illegally searched people at the Liberty Square metro station, going beyond a ‘superficial check’, which indicated that ‘police officers are massively executing an illegal order to intimidate the demonstrator’.

‘The methods — searching people exiting the subway, ambushing peaceful people leaving the rally — were aimed at intimidating citizens and creating obstacles for them to reach the place of peaceful assembly’, GYLA wrote.

Their statement also addressed the reports of unknown individuals with firearms that confronted protesters last night. 

‘The faces of the attackers are clearly visible in the footage, therefore they can be easily identified, however, the events that have developed in recent days, as well as the use of such criminal practices in April-May 2024, convince us that state institutions are acting in alliance with physical groups’, GYLA wrote. 

They emphasised that the ‘systemic and violent repression against the civilian population should be assessed as a crime against humanity, which could serve as a basis for an appeal to the International Criminal Court’.

University of Georgia lecturer detained

Mtavari Arkhi has reported that Archil Jangirashvili, a lecturer at the University of Georgia, has been detained. The media outlet stated that his relatives have not received any information and that his current whereabouts are unknown. 

Belgian citizen detained

Wietse de Geyter, a Belgian citizen, has been detained after exiting a cab as police dispersed protesters on Rustaveli Avenue early this morning. A previous version of this updated stated that he was a Dutch citizen. 

The video of Wietse de Geyter’s arrest (second 30 and onwards). You can clearly see he just got out of the cab with me and did literally nothing. He’s still in custody. A lawyer will soon see him. Wonder how @EUinGeorgia @EU_Commission @EUparliament look at this. pic.twitter.com/ZvK5GdiNiC

— Jarron Kamphorst (@JarronKamphorst) December 7, 2024

Coalition for Change MP briefly detained

Tsotne Koberidze, a member of the opposition Girchi — More Freedom party who was elected as part of the Coalition for Change, was briefly detained last night during the dispersal of a protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue. 

According to Koberidze, who spoke to local media outlet Publika, he was searched and beaten after being detained. 

‘They took some photos with me and said, “We're cheering you on, when are you going to save the country?”, mocking me. Then they took me to Chichinadze Street, made me stand in the middle and beat me there, they beat me for about a minute’, Koberidze said.

He added that police also took his phone and when he refused to give the passcode, they kicked him in the face while swearing at him. 

He was released after the police found out he had parliamentary immunity.

While three major opposition groups, including Coalition for Change, have applied to have their parliamentary lists annulled by the Central Election Commission, this annulment is pending approval from parliament. Until then, all opposition MPs legally enjoy immunity from arrest and prosecution unless committing a criminal act.

Key events from yesterday:

• Unconfirmed reports suggest that OC Media co-founder and co-director Mariam Nikuradze may have been placed on a list of people to be arrested by the Georgian authorities. Read more: OC Media founder Mariam Nikuradze ‘on police wanted list’
• One of the leaders of the opposition group Coalition for Change, Nika Gvaramia, was sentenced to 12 days in prison by the Tbilisi City court for ‘petty hooliganism and disobedience of a lawful request by a police officer’.
• Shortly after, one of the leaders of the opposition group Strong Georgia, Aleko Elisashvili, was sentenced to two months of pretrial detention as a preventative measure.
• The Lithuanian Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the violence against protesters in Georgia and supporting the call for new parliamentary elections in Georgia.
• The security level in the Georgian Parliament was downgraded from red to yellow.