We continue our live coverage of the fallout and widespread protests over Georgia’s EU accession U-turn.

• Help us hold power to account; Become an OC Media Member.
• Donate to our collective fundraiser to help Georgian media survive an authoritarian crackdown.

We’re ending our live coverage for now, but will be back later for more from Georgia.

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

From grandparents' march to cinematographers' rally, Tbilisi prepares for 19th day of protests

Several protesters are scheduled to take place in Tbilisi and across Georgia tomorrow, as protests against the government’s decision to suspend EU integration enter their 19th day.

Generations for the Country, a platform that publishes protest material, has reported that at least 10 protests are scheduled for tomorrow in Tbilisi. The first, titled Neighbourhood March, will begin at 08:00 in front of the State University Metro Station.

Couriers will hold a protest march starting from the Ministry of Health and Labour to Tbilisi City Court, in solidarity with a courier who was ‘unlawfully detained by a violent system’. One more protest will also take place at the ministry under the slogan ‘health and life are everyone’s right’.

At noon, a grandparents’ march to parliament will kick off from Rustaveli Metro Station under the slogan ‘For our grandchildren! For a European Future! For our dignified old age!’

Protests are also planned by filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts, literary figures, and hosts from Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia under the slogan ‘Host the EU!’

Protests in front of parliament are set to renew at 19:00.

Teachers rally in Batumi

In the coastal city of Batumi in western Georgia, teachers are holding a protest against the policies of the ruling party.

According to local media outlet Batumelebi, the protesters are demanding new parliamentary elections under international monitoring, the political neutrality of the State Security Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as the release of detained demonstrators.

One of the protesters told the publication, ‘How can I teach my students about freedom as a value if I am not its defender?’ adding that the independence of Georgia is under danger.

President-elect thanks police and says they never violently disperse protests

In an interview with pro-government TV channel Imedi, President-elect Mikheil Kavelashvili thanked the Georgian police. He stated that there should be no ‘double standards’, pointing out that while injured demonstrators are highlighted, the police officers who are also affected should not be overlooked.

‘A question arises: is our police violent? This is easy to assess, and I will allow myself to be more clear and, on the contrary, thanks to our law enforcement structures’, Kavelashvili said, highlighting that the law enforcement agencies ‘are managing processes’ under difficult conditions.

Kavelashvili stated that no one can name a case in the history of Georgian Dream’s rule where ‘a peaceful protest was present and the police dispersed it with force or there was an act of violence by the police.’

Kavelashvili links the ongoing protests to the actions of ‘radical politicians controlled from abroad.’

Lawyer: administrative offences amendments allow police to detain citizens based on suspicion

Georgian Dream on Saturday adopted a legislative amendment to the administrative offences code allowing police officers to administratively detain repeat offenders as a ‘precautionary’ measure.

Saba Brachveli, a lawyer at the Civil Society Foundation, highlighted the specific change that would allow police to detain people in order to prevent them from repeating an administrative offence they had previously committed.

‘The police are given the right to detain a person based solely on suspicion that they may repeat a violation of order in the future’, he wrote on Facebook.

‘This does not refer to the preparation, attempt, or commencement of an offence. Any case where a police officer, at their discretion, believes a citizen may violate some point of the law in the future will be grounds to detain the person for at least 48 hours in a detention facility’.

The amendments package also banned covering faces and the use of fireworks in protests, in addition to increasing fines for certain administrative offences.

The president has 14 days to approve the changes or to return them to parliament with motivated remarks — a veto. Should the president refuse to sign the amendments within 14 days, Parliamentary Chair Shalva Papuashvili can sign them instead, passing them into law.

Zourabichvili greets demonstrators outside presidential palace

President Salome Zourabichvili was seen exiting her residence to greet the artists marching towards parliament from the Culture Ministry. The protesters chanted her name in support. 

The artists' protest was one of several marches held in Tbilisi today against the policies of Georgian Dream.

Rustaveli blocked

Protesters in Tbilisi have again blocked the central Rustaveli Avenue by gathering in front of parliament to protest the government’s decision to halt EU integration.

Protesters in Tbilisi have again blocked the central Rustaveli Avenue by gathering in front of parliament to protest the government’s decision to halt EU integration.

🔴 Live updates: https://t.co/Xfe1D15f8c pic.twitter.com/txjudA2VC7

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 15, 2024

Opposition groups call on EU to impose sanctions and demand release of detainees

The four major opposition groupings, Coalition for Change, Unity — National Movement, Strong Georgia, and For Georgia have all appealed to EU FOreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative Kaja Kallas and the foreign ministers of the EU to demand the ‘immediate and unconditional release of all detained politicians, activists’.

They have also called on th EU to impose ‘targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for undermining democracy, including Bidzina Ivanishvili and his cronies’. They demanded that the EU also suspend visa-free access to officials ‘associated with the illegitimate’ government, and that the government itself be declared illegitimate by the EU.

They have lastly called on the EU to issue ‘strong public condemnations’ to denounce violence against protesters, journalists, and activists.

IDPs, artists, and technology sector reps hold separate marches

Several protests are taking place concurrently in Tbilisi against Georgian Dream.

Artists have gathered to march towards the Culture Ministry, holding banners reading ‘art is free, alive, and unyielding’, ‘freedom to regime prisoners’, and ‘art against injustice’.

IDPs from Abkhazia have also marched towards parliament, joined by observers who monitored October’s parliamentary elections.

‘We, the displaced people, know the true value of peace better than anyone, and not the kind of peace that Bidzina Ivanishvili has offered us over the past 12 years: repression and chaos’, one demonstrator told Mtavari Arkhi.

A protest by ICT representatives is also underway, following previous demonstrations against the ruling party.

Barcelona and Real Madrid fans hold march in Tbilisi against Georgian Dream

Fans of Barcelona and Real Madrid just  held a joint march in Tbilisi against the policies of Georgian Dream.

They gathered near the Tbilisi State Concert Hall to demand new elections and the release of detained demonstrators, before marching towards parliament.

‘On our planet, it’s hard to find two more opposing poles than the fans of Real and Barcelona. However, in the context of current events, we want to become another example of unity among Georgians, among many others,’ read a statement published before the protest.

One of the participants held a sign that read ‘We hate each other, but we hate you more’, directed at the ruling party.

Georgian FC Barcelona and Real Madrid fans have organised a joint march in Tbilisi to protest the government’s decision to halt EU integration. pic.twitter.com/TzE2LwflFY

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 15, 2024

Helsinki Commission’s Wilson calls Kavelashvili ‘Russian puppet president’

Joe Wilson, the chair of the US Helsinki Commission, yesterday condemned Georgian Dream’s election of Mikheil Kavelashvili as President of Georgia, accusing the ‘illegitimate government [of] trying to foist a Russian pupper president on Georgians’. He said that Salome Zourabichvili ‘remains the legitimate president of Georgia’.

Lithuania sanctions 17, including PM Kobakhdize

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys today announced additional travel sanctions against 17 Georgian politicians, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

This follows Estonia’s announcement to impose travel bans on Kobakhidze and 13 other officials.

#Lithuania stands with the people of #Georgia& their European dream.

In coordination with Estonia, we have expanded the list of sanctioned Georgian politicians by adding 17 more individuals, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

We will not tolerate the violence&…

— Kęstutis Budrys (@BudrysKestutis) December 15, 2024

HR professionals, trainers, and consultants condemn Georgian Dream, call for new elections

More than 400 HR professionals, trainers, and business consultants have condemned the ruling party’s decision to suspend the country’s EU membership bid, as well as the violence against peaceful protesters and journalists, in an online statement.

In their statement, the signatories called the government’s actions ‘violations of the constitution, democratic principles, and fundamental human rights’. They also demanded the release of detained demonstrators and called for free elections in the country.

‘The suspension of EU negotiations and the ongoing events in the country pose a direct threat to both our nation’s sovereignty and democracy, as well as to the Georgian economy, business, and labour market,’ the letter read.

As of 16:00, more than 400 individuals have signed the statement.

Police detain two student activists

Niko Managadze, a student activist, and his friend, Nikoloz Kalandadze, were detained on charges of disobeying the police. Mariam Pataridze, a Social Justice Centre (SJC) lawyer, has said that they were detained on their way home from yesterday’s protest.

Pataridze said that earlier that day, at 16:00, Managadze received a call from an investigator telling him that he was summoned for questioning at the police station at 17:00. Managadze replied saying that he was unable to attend the questioning, but that he was open to be questioned by a judge in court.

Later that night, Mangadze and Kalandadze, were stopped by 10 people in plainclothes on Kostava Street, which connects to Rustaveli Avenue. They were put into separate cars and detained.

Pataridze told OC Media that one of the men briefly showed his identification, but immediately put it back in his pocket, preventing the two from confirming whether or not they were police.

‘When Niko got into the car, two people sat behind him, and two sat in front. The first thing they told him was: “Why didn’t you come to the station today?” ’

According to her, at the police station, one of the officers, presumably the investigator, spoke to Managadze in a very harsh and stern tone, asking why he participated in the protests and how long he planned to continue doing so.

The lawyer added that the police asked Managadze to remove the PIN code from his phone, telling him they wanted to check his phone’s IMEI number. They then grabbed his phone from him after Managadze told them that he would find the code and provide it to them himself. Pataridze said that his phone was taken away from him for half-an-hour.

She believes that his detention was a form of punishment for his participation in the protests. The official police report indicates that Managadze and Kalandadze disobeyed the police and insulted them.

Pataridze does not know why he was summoned for questioning in the first place, but has speculated it might be related to alleged cases of group violence during protests.

Managadze is a student at Tbilisi State University and a member of the For Freedom movement. He actively participated in protests against the foreign agent law and, during the same period, organised demonstrations near the university when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was giving lectures there.

Managadze was previously attacked by a group of men after calling Kobakhidze a ‘Russian slave’ after one of his lectures in April, and was also reportedly attacked by a group in June as he was leaving a lecture.

President Salome Zourabichvili condemned Managadze’s arrest as being ‘arbitrary’ today.

Estonia sanctions Kobakhidze and 13 others

Estonia has imposed travel sanctions on 14 more Georgian officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

Estonia’s Foreign Ministry said that the list of those sanctioned includes judges, while Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna wrote on Twitter that the ‘violence perpetrated by the Georgian authorities against protesters, journalists, and opposition leaders is criminal and against human rights’.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry has said developments in Georgia are to be discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council session tomorrow.

Estonia has already sanctioned 11 members of Georgia’s leadership and senior leaders, including Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri. That package of sanctions was coordinated with Latvia and Lithuania, who sanctioned 13 and 11 officials respectively.

Key events from yesterday:

• Georgian Dream has elected Mikheil Kavelashvili as President of Georgia. Kavelashvili is a former footballer and a member of the anti-western People’s Power — a Georgian Dream offshoot group. The opposition boycotted the vote.
• Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has postponed lighting the Christmas tree in front of parliament — an area that has become the epicentre of anti-government protests. Kaladze cited ‘aggressive protesters’ present at the location of the event.
• Several protests were held in Tbilisi, including a march of hiking enthusiasts and a mothers' march. Protests also took place in other cities.
• President Salome Zourabichvili made an appearance at yesterday’s protest in Tbilisi, wishing everyone a peaceful evening and urging the protesters to maintain a peaceful gathering