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.

Interior Ministry arrests individual for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktail at police 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has arrested one person on charges of assaulting a police officer. The ministry alleged the suspect threw a Molotov cocktail at police on 1 December, which reportedly damaged a riot control vehicle equipped with a water cannon. If found guilty, the individual could face up to seven years in prison.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement says ‘no more business as usual’

Marta Kos, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement said she had a phone conversation with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili.

Today I spoke with President @Zourabichvili_S about the worrying situation in Georgia.

I praise the brave determination of Georgian people to continue on the path to Europe.

Your will should be respected. No more business as usual. The EU is on your side. 🇬🇪🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/6oCqVWcijE

— Kos Marta (@Marta1Kos) December 2, 2024

Poet Zviad Ratiani sentenced to eight days in prison

Poet Zviad Ratiani, who was beaten and arrested during the protest, was sentenced to eight days of administrative detention by the Tbilisi City Court.

Ratiani was arrested on 29 November during a protest on Chichinadze Street  by the parliament in Tbilisi. According to media reports, he was severely beaten by riot police during the arrest.

Ratiani’s lawyer Aleko Tskitishvili said the decision will be appealed to the Court of Appeals.

US senators call on State Department to impose sanctions ‘to remind the Georgian government that actions have consequences’ 

Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, both senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated they stand with the Georgian people who have a right to peacefully protest.

‘We will work to ensure that the Georgian government and individuals responsible for [parliamentary] election interference, violence against peaceful civilians, and other acts that undermine the territorial integrity of Georgia are held accountable’.

‘We call on the State Department to make its position clear and unequivocal regarding the current use of force against peaceful protestors and we urge the current and incoming administrations to commit to supporting freedom and democracy in Georgia’. 

While the senators did not outline concrete actions aside from sanctions they would like to see enacted, they urged the US to ‘use all of the tools at the disposal of the US government’. 

‘The Georgian people deserve to know that the United States will not sit idly by as this situation deteriorates’.

Georgian Ambassador to the Czech Republic resigns

Tea Maisuradze, Georgia’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic posted on X on Monday night saying that she had resigned from her post. Maisuradze is the latest of a series of high profile figures to resign from Georgia’s Foreign Ministry and other government bodies since the announcement that the country is halting its EU accession. 

I’ve submitted my resignation as Ambassador of 🇬🇪to🇨🇿

It was a great honor 2serve national interests of my country 4 nearly 2decades, fostering its European&Euro-Atlantic integration, while defending its sovereignty&territorial integrity

I remain committed 2Georgia’s🇪🇺Future!

— Tea Maisuradze 🇬🇪🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@MaisuradzeThea) December 2, 2024

Georgian Legion denies ‘baseless accusations’ that its fighters are planning to return from Ukraine and join protests

The Georgian Legion said it ‘categorically denied’ that its fighters are coming back to Georgia to participate in protests, characterising the rumors as ‘baseless accusations’.

‘While we fully support the Georgian people’s righteous outrage regarding the Georgian government’s decision to suspend progress toward EU accession, our fight remains here in Ukraine, where our common enemy is’.

The Georgian Legion is a volunteer unit primarily made up of Georgians fighting against the Russian army in Ukraine.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Russian propaganda has recently begun disseminating false claims suggesting that the Georgian Legion plans to return to Georgia and participate in protests.

We categorically deny these baseless accusations. While we fully support the Georgian people’s…

— Georgian Legion (@georgian_legion) December 2, 2024

Protester who said he was severely beaten by police was reportedly denied medical care and taken to detention hearing

Avtandil Titvinidze, a protester who said he was beaten by riot police during a protest on 30 November, was subsequently taken to a pretrial detention although he required surgery for his injuries. 

According to the Rights Georgia group, Avtandil Titvinidze had an open wound and a fractured nasal bone and was in severe pain but was not taken to a clinic by doctors at the detention center.

‘Avtandil Titvinidze says that several riot police officers severely beat him and broke his nose with a baton’, the organisation reported.

‘He was bleeding from his nose and asked for medical help, but the police officers gave him a used sock and offered to stop the bleeding with it’.

Miller: US stands with Georgian people

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated the US stands with the Georgian people.

Miller once again stated that the US is concerned about the steps that the ruling Georgian Dream party has taken deviating from the path of integration with Europe. He also declined to give specifics about what further concrete actions the US would take in response to the crackdown on protesters. 

Outside the State Department building, members of the Georgian diaspora gathered to urge the US to take a stronger stance.

Clashes between protesters and riot police on Rustaveli Avenue continue.
🔴 Georgia live updates: https://t.co/7C9b5lX9Su pic.twitter.com/KBu5P6NWW4

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 2, 2024

Protesters set up barricades on Rustaveli Avenue

According to local media, demonstrators set up barricades against the riot police on Rustaveli Avenue, who occasionally use water cannons against demonstrators.

The Georgian rock band Skazz performed an impromptu concert to protesters gathered by Rustaveli metro station, where they also addressed the crowd and called for ‘freedom to our fellow fighters’.
🔴 Georgia live updates: https://t.co/7C9b5lX9Su pic.twitter.com/CK3i69p9DJ

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 2, 2024

Police head: officers used ‘proportionate force’

Vazha Siradze, Head of the Patrol Police Department told the media that the protest on Rustaveli Avenue turned violent from the start, which is why the law enforcement officers used ‘proportionate force’ against demonstrators.

According to Siradze, prior to the larger gathering on Rustaveli Avenue, ‘groups of 400 people began throwing various objects, pyrotechnics, engaging in violent acts, and insulting police officers, which forced us to use proportional force’.

Girchi – More Freedom opposition party says member Gela Khasaia was attacked by unknown assailants

Ana Kurashvili, the PR manager  of the opposition party Girchi – More Freedom, posted on Facebook that party member Gela Khasaia was attacked by three unknown people waiting near his house.

‘They hit him from behind, threw him to the gravel, and kicked him in the back, legs, and face’, she posted.

Girchi – More Freedom is a member of the opposition group Coalition for Change.

Riot police started arresting protesters

Police have arrested several people while dispersing protesters, using tear gas and water cannons,  from the area in front of the parliament building. Police currently hold the territory in front of the building.

Riot police fired a water cannon at protesters gathered by the parliament and ordered the demonstrators to disperse, several hours earlier than in previous nights. 📹@mari_nikuradze
🔴 Georgia live updates: https://t.co/1CVo8HyB10... pic.twitter.com/XuV2kIuISV

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 2, 2024

Interior Ministry detains protester for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktail at police

The Ministry of Internal Affairs detained one person on Monday on criminal charges of attacking the police.

According to the ministry, the suspect allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement officers during a protest on 1 December, ‘resulting in damage to a water cannon vehicle owned by the ministry’.

If found guilty, he could face up to seven years in prison.

Protesters face off with riot police by the parliament building on Monday night. 🎥 @mari_nikuradze pic.twitter.com/lkLySLel9u

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 2, 2024

GYLA: detained demonstrators severely beaten

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) stated, citing the lawyers from the Legal Aid Network, that most of the detainees arrested during the overnight protest on 2 December were severely beaten. Some of the detainees are currently being held in a medical facility. 

‘They have bruises all over their bodies, and facial injuries – fractures of the nose and jaw. All of the people taken to the clinic have concussions, multiple bruises and hematomas, and have difficulty moving and speaking’.

GYLA reported that law enforcement officers physically abused and used degrading language against detained demonstrators.

‘While beating the detainees, they spat on them, cursed them, and shouted at them. The detainees recall the following phrases: “I’ll stick a baton in your ass” [...], ‘You European, since you like fucking in the ass, I’ll stick a baton in your ass”’.

GYLA said that after the continuous beating of detainees, ‘the [police] minibus was covered in blood', and those who got off the minibus were taken through a corridor of riot police, where they were then kicked in the face and back one by one, before being taken to a patrol police car.

‘The riot police took off the shoes of the detainees and many of them were taken barefoot to the medical facility’, GYLA said, demanding immediate investigations of each case.

Canadian FM says specifics on sanctions coming shortly 

At a joint press conference with Baltic foreign ministers, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly stated that ‘Canada is in solidarity with the Georgian people and we are very concerned about what Russia is trying to do in Georgia and in that sense we will follow suit, we will sanction key individuals and also businesses, entities that are involved either in human rights violations or corruption, based on our own sanctions regime’.

‘You will hear more from me in the coming days regarding this issue’, Joly said. 

Students and lecturers march to join protests in front of parliament

Hundreds of students,  lecturers, and other protesters began marching towards the parliament building from Chavchavadze Avenue. 

Interior Ministry warns demonstrators, again

Soon after tonight’s demonstration in front of the parliament building began at 19:00, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that ‘there have already been cases of illegal expressions of protest’.

‘Some of the protesters are damaging the infrastructure on site, and the protesters are also carrying various dangerous items that could be used for violent acts, as in recent days’, the agency stated, without clarifying what items they meant.

Protesters gather in Zugdidi 

Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered in Zugdidi in western Georgia, calling on people to join their protest.

Public Broadcaster disagreement continues

According to Publika, the meeting between the protesters and the Public Broadcaster’s management today ended with a partial agreement.

Organisers told media that the channel agreed to give airtime to the public and the opposition, but the demand for the channel's management to resign was not met.

It was the third day of protests in front of the public broadcaster.

Police use fire hoses against protesters in Tbilisi

Shortly after protesters began gathering in front of the Georgian parliament building  on Rustaveli Avenue, law enforcement officers began firing water at demonstrators from inside the Georgian parliament yard.

Tear gas was also reportedly used against protesters. 

Kaladze demands director of Tbilisi library union to resign after employees protest halting of EU bid

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has demanded the director of the Union of Multi-Functional Libraries of the City of Tbilisi, Ninia Macharashvili, resign from her post after the organisation published a statement on 30 November signed by over 245 employees protesting the government’s deviation from the path of European integration.

According to Macharashvili’s husband, Davit Gorgiladze, Ninia was asked to resign due to a mismatch between her position and that of Tbilisi City Hall, as well as Kakha Kaladze’s personal attitude towards her. 

‘They offered that if she writes a statement herself, they will not create problems for the employees and they will not demand the list of those people who signed the statement against them, to which Ninia fiercely refused from the beginning’, Gorgiladze wrote on Facebook.

Protesters reconvene on Rustaveli Avenue

Various groups of protesters have begun gathering outside the Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, marking the fifth night of major demonstrations against the Georgian Dream government’s decision to ‘halt’ the EU membership bid.

Kobakhidze lambasts ‘hysterical’ Zourabichvili for ‘pressuring’ Constitutional Court

In today’s briefing, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticised President Salome Zourabichvili for what he described as her attempt to ‘pressure’ the justices of the Constitutional Court, who have yet to rule on her petition challenging the legality of the election results.

‘When a woman, who calls herself president, announces pressure on the Constitutional Court judges, this is direct criminal behaviour’, Kobakhidze said, adding that ‘this person simply knows that no one may want to arrest a 72-year-old woman, which is why she is crossing every red line’. 

In her speech last night, Zourabichvili asserted that the Constitutional Court had a ‘tremendous opportunity to resolve a deep crisis in the country’ by promptly addressing her appeal disputing the election results.

Kobakhidze also described four major pro-western opposition groups as well as Zourabichvili ‘hysterical’ for their alleged failure to stage ‘Nats-Maydan’ in the country. Nats-Maydan is a new portmanteau coined by the ruling party, referring to the former ruling United National Movement and their alleged attempt, along with others, to stage a Ukraine-like Maidan Revolution, which they have recently described as a coup.

‘Salome Zourabichvili is in a state of hysteria. Today, this woman was ridiculous. I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she dedicated three [online] posts to it. This reflects her severe emotional state’, Kobakhidze alleged. 

Altercation in Zestaponi

A group of men have confronted protesters outside the Georgian Dream office in the western Georgian town of Zestaponi after rallygoers marched to it in protest of Georgia’s anti-EU turn and police crackdowns against protest demonstrations.

Ukrainian MFA: Georgian government actions demonstrate ‘pivot toward Moscow’

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the ‘ongoing human rights violations and the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Georgia. Violence will not remain without consequences’.

They added that they were ‘perplexed by the Georgian government’s attempts to claim that the country’s European integration continues while its actions demonstrate a pivot toward Moscow’, noting that Ukrainian politicians who ‘once sought to derail Ukraine’s path to the EU and steer it into Russia’s orbit similarly claimed they were merely “pausing” rather than abandoning Ukraine’s European integration’.

The statement also strongly rejected the ‘persistent attempts of the Georgian authorities to involve Ukraine in internal political processes in their country’, calling on the Georgian government to ‘stop intimidating its people with the myth of so-called “Ukrainian scenario”, while simultaneously implementing a “Belarusian scenario” in practice’. 

‘Ukraine has been and remains committed to democratic transformation in Georgia and its further European and Euro-Atlantic integration, which meets the interests of the Georgian people. In this context, we express solidarity with our Georgian diplomat colleagues who have publicly opposed the decision of the Georgian government to withdraw EU accession negotiations from the agenda’, the statement read. 

Protest at the Constitutional Court in Batumi 

A group of protesters have gathered outside the Constitutional Court in Batumi, urging the justices to deliver a timely ruling on the election irregularities.

Police mobilised two long lines of masked officers in front of the building before protesters arrived.

The Court has remained silent after President Salome Zourabichvili and 30 outgoing MPs petitioned them separately regarding widespread irregularities and violations in the 26 October vote. Agreeing with those petitions would pave the way for a repeat election.

A group of 16 Constitutional Court employees protested the Georgian government’s decision to ‘halt’ the EU membership bid on 29 November, just a day after the announcement.

Queer activists protest in front of Georgian Dream office in Tbilisi 

A group of queer activists have gathered in front of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s office in Tbilisi in protest against the LGBT propaganda law which came into force today. 

[Read more: Explainer | What’s in Georgia’s new anti-queer bill?]

During the demonstration, activists read out a manifesto which highlighted how the ‘fascist’ law helped Georgian Dream use homophobia as a tool to divide society. They also called on people to adopt a policy of disobedience against such fascist policies. 

‘Under fascism, the existence and coexistence of people, as well as the rights to life, freedom, thought, creativity, and activity, are at risk.

Therefore, we can only respond with collective, universal civil resistance to the fascist reality imposed by the oligarch, through complete disobedience to the fascist law and its repeated, deliberate violations!’, they announced.

‘To all public institutions tasked with protecting and enforcing human rights: openly support and ensure the recognition of queer people as equal citizens!

To healthcare professionals: do not comply with the fascist demands of the law and continue to serve trans individuals!

Show banned films!

Perform banned theater plays!

Print and read banned literature!

Teach banned texts at universities!

Express solidarity in this challenging moment!

Let us all together stand against the fascist regime!’, they read out.

Senior instructor at MIA Academy resigns

A senior instructor at the Tactical Training Department of the Academy of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Giorgi Gabekhadze, has resigned.

Georgian President Zourabichvili called Gabekhadze’s resignation ‘an unmistakable precursor to the collapse of the repressive apparatus’ and hailed all ministry officials who have ‘put your homeland above your personal career interest’.

German President condemns violence against pro-European demonstrators

Following a call between German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, Steinmeier condemned the violence against pro-European demonstrators in Georgia, and assured Zourabichvili of Europe’s solidarity.

Finnish President calls for protests to ‘not be suppressed’

The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, has held a phone call with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, after which he highlighted Finland’s support for the Georgian people. 

An urgent discussion with President @Zourabichvili_S on the situation in Georgia.

The Georgian Dream Party has announced that it will freeze the country's EU path. This is a radical change from the previous policy, which was based on the country's constitution. The nationwide…

— Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) December 2, 2024

Baltic states deny entry to 11 Georgian officials

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has announced that several Georgian officials, including Georgian Dream’s honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili and Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, are now prohibited from entering Lithuania ‘due to their involvement in human rights abuses’.

The list of 11 also includes Gomelauri’s four deputies —  Shalva Bedoidze, Ioseb Chelidze, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, and Giorgi Butkhuzi — the head of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department Zviad Kharazishvili; his two deputies; the chief of the Ministry’s Patrol Police, Vazha Siradze; and the head of the Central Criminal Police Department at the same ministry, Teimuraz Kupatadze.

Latvia and Estonia issued similar announcements, denying entry to the same list of Georgians for violating ‘human rights’.

Riot police break camera of OC Media’s Co-director, again

During last night’s protests in Tbilisi, riot police attempted to detain OC Media’s Co-director, Mariam Nikuradze. Although she was later released, officers slammed her against a wall, causing damage to her camera.

Police broke my second camera. They wanted to arrest me, I told them I was journalist, he let me go and pushed me to the wall pic.twitter.com/9vs6enrO16

— Mariam Nikuradze (@mari_nikuradze) December 2, 2024

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Protest in Samtredia

A group of local residents in Samtredia, western Georgia, marched to the municipal government offices today to protest the government’s ‘pause’ on Georgia’s EU membership bid. 

Local media reported that opposition councilors and the media were barred from attending the self-government council session.

We Vote accuses police of violence, impunity, and targeting journalists amid protests

The Georgian rights group coalition We Vote have called on police officers to ‘stand with the people’ and ‘cease following illegal orders’.

We Vote accused Interior Ministry units of intensifying violence rather than de-escalating it, alleging they swore at protesters, threw stones, and committed crimes by ‘brutally beating [detained protesters] in groups’ after seizing them and dragging them behind police lines.

The group highlighted that most law enforcement officers — referred to in quotes in their statement — have their faces fully covered with masks and lack identifying marks on their uniforms, making them unidentifiable and fostering a sense of impunity for abuses against protesters and journalists. 

We Vote identified Zviad Kharazishvili, the US-sanctioned head of the Interior Ministry’s Special Tasks Department ‘known for his brutality,’ as playing a key role in the violent dispersal of protests.

The group further accused law enforcement agencies of ‘targeted attacks, repression, and harassment’ against journalists, stating that ‘over 50’ media workers have been targeted in total since the street protests began.

Former chief diplomat under Georgian Dream challenges Kobakhidze to public debates

Georgia’s former Foreign Minister, Mikheil Janelidze, has challenged Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to a public debate on the Georgian Public Broadcaster after Kobakhidze declared earlier today his willingness to engage in a ‘dialogue in any format’ to discuss his decision to ‘halt’ Georgia’s EU membership bid. Kobakhidze stated that if opponents prove to be correct, ‘there is no obstacle to making the necessary decisions’. 

Janelidze served as Georgia’s Foreign Minister under the Georgian Dream government from 2015 to 2018.

International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia announces strike

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Georgia has published a statement announcing that they will go on strike for three days, with their offices set to be closed until 5 December. 

‘The ICC firmly believes that the Georgian Dream party has violated the Georgian Constitution, specifically Article 78, by halting Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration. This decision undermines the aspirations of a nation that seeks to align itself with European values and standards.

In solidarity with the overwhelming majority of Georgians who desire an independent and free European Georgia, ICC-Georgia stands firmly alongside every peaceful protester. To demonstrate our support for this movement and to amplify their voices, we have decided to go on strike for three days. Our offices will remain closed until December 5, 2024’, the statement read. 

‘We urge all stakeholders to respect the will of the people and uphold democratic principles. The future of Georgia lies in its commitment to freedom and integration with Europe’.

Students march on Chavchavadze Avenue 

Students have begun marching down Chavchavadze Avenue in downtown Tbilisi, urging other students across the country to join a nationwide strike.

Students of Tbilisi State University block road outside its economics building and prepare to march to Chavchavadze avenue, where the university’s historic first building is located.

Video: RFERL Georgian Service pic.twitter.com/x0HAMOA8jJ

— Formula NEWS | English (@FormulaGe) December 2, 2024

Students are also continuing to march in Batumi.

Professors and staff from Georgia’s Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film State University have launched an online petition today to express solidarity with protesting students nationwide, including their own.

Today, the academic and representative councils of Ilia State University also announced a march from their main campus on Chavchavadze Avenue to Rustaveli Avenue, set to begin at 18:00.

Trade unions criticise EU bid suspension, demand accountability for police violence

Four days after the government’s announcement they were ‘halting’ Georgia’s EU membership bid, the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), the country’s largest union group, criticised the decision, stating that ‘EU integration has no alternative’ and emphasising that ‘the government and every member of society are obligated to prioritise maximum effort to ensure Georgia’s swift integration into the European Union.’

In their statement released today, GTUC also ‘categorically condemned’ police brutality against protesters and media representatives while also discouraging ‘acts of violence against law enforcement and vandalism by individuals involved in the protest’. 

‘We believe that each perpetrator and all responsible individuals must be identified and held accountable without delay’, GTUC stated in reference to excessive use of force by police.

Public Defender: 80% of detainees have reported police violence

Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani announced today that his representatives have visited 156 individuals detained in recent days, with 124 of them alleging police brutality and inhuman treatment.

‘It’s almost 80%. This is a very concerning figure’, Ioseliani stated. 

‘I once again urge the police not to exceed the limits established by law and to use only legitimate force against citizens. The Special Investigation Service must respond with the utmost severity to all such cases’, he added. 

Youth protest in Batumi grows

Protesting youth in Batumi have entered the Maritime Academy campus after the management closed the main entrance, urging local students to join their strike. 

According to local media, most students at Batumi’s Shota Rustaveli State University and Batumi Arts State Teaching University are also on strike.

Students and schoolchildren are currently marching through the streets of Batumi. 

🟥 14:00, December 2 – #Batumi

Striking students from @bsubatumi entered the yard of the Maritime Academy, a closed university with controlled entry and exit. They were joined by students from there, as well as the University of Arts, and others.#GeorgiaProtests pic.twitter.com/evYc9byaXT

— ბათუმელები • Batumelebi.ge (@Batumelebi_ge) December 2, 2024

Georgia’s Education Minister criticises politicisation of educational institutions

The Georgian Minister of Education, Science, and Youth, Aleksandre Tsuladze, has stated that it is ‘unacceptable’ to ‘politicise the educational space’. 

‘Personally, I believe that the intentional disruption of the educational process is a violation of the obligations undertaken by educational institutions to society. This will not be approved by us, on the contrary, they should immediately restore the educational process and continue to fulfill their obligations’, Tsuladze said.

Students at schools and universities across the country have gone on strike in protest against government decision to suspend EU accession until 2028 and the subsequent violent crackdown against protesters of said decision. 

Civil society organisations calls on authorities to ‘ensure full protection of civil servants’ rights’

Three Georgian civil society organisations — Transparency International Georgia, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, and GYLA — have responded to Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze’s announcement regarding the reorganisation of city hall, which came after more than 100 city hall employees published a statement separating themselves from the government’s decision to suspend EU accession negotiations. 

According to the civil society organisations, the reorganisation of Tbilisi City Hall could be used as a tool against those civil servants who distanced themselves from the government. 

‘We believe that any structural changes planned in the City Hall should be carried out transparently, in full compliance with the law and the labour rights of civil servants, in accordance with the basic principles of reorganisation.

We call on relevant agencies to act within the constitutional framework and ensure full protection of civil servants’ rights. It is not allowed to persecute public servants and put pressure on them because of different political views.

The signatory organisations of the statement express our readiness to provide free legal assistance to civil servants who have been dismissed illegally and on alleged political grounds due to discrimination due to political or different opinions’.

Protest at Georgia’s Foreign Ministry in Tbilisi

A protest is underway outside Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tbilisi, where Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is expected to introduce Maka Bochorishvili as the country’s new foreign minister. 

Demonstrators gathered to show solidarity with over 250 ministry employees who recently condemned the government’s decision to ‘halt’ the EU membership process. Recently, six Georgian ambassadors resigned in protest over the same decision.

‘It is shameful when the country’s illegitimate Prime Minister secretly enters the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the pretense of meeting with staff!!!!’, wrote President Salome Zourabichvili, reacting promptly to the reports by the opposition-leaning media that Kobakhidze snuck in the Ministry building through a backdoor. 

Journalists injured and detained amid ongoing police crackdown in Tbilisi

Journalists have continued to be targeted during their coverage of the ongoing protests in Tbilisi.

Rustavi 2 reported last night that their reporter, Tamta Chitishvili, sustained a leg injury while covering protests in Tbilisi and was hospitalised, potentially requiring surgery.

In the early hours of Monday morning, police detained Giorgi Chagelishvili, a journalist from Mautskebeli, while he was covering their pursuit of protesters in the Tbilisi Metro.

Later, in the morning, police assaulted Giorgi Baskhajauri, a journalist at the Georgian queer outlet Aprili, obstructing his coverage of this morning’s protest on Chavchavadze Avenue in Tbilisi and attempting to seize his mobile phone.

Japaridze released from detention

Zurab Girchi Japaridze, one of the leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change group, announced he was ‘out’, released from detention, by sharing a photo of himself in a car on his Facebook page.

His lawyer, Vakho Baramashvili, stated that ‘special forces chased him for a kilometre and a half’ this morning before detaining him on Chavchavadze Avenue for several hours. 

Employees at National Palace of Youth condemn ‘illegal arrests’

More than 30 employees of the National Palace of Youth, the largest cultural and educational centre in Georgia run by Tbilisi Municipality City Hall, have signed a joint statement condemning the ‘illegal arrests and physical punishment of participants of the peaceful protest’. 

‘The European integration of Georgia is a historical choice of the country's population, which is enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia, and deviation from this path is not allowed.

The future of Georgia is in Europe!’, the statement read.

Students at several schools and universities stage walkouts, call on teachers to join protest

On Monday morning, several schools and universities in Tbilisi, Rustavi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Telavi, and Gori boycotted classes and held protests outside.

Some school administrations directly cancelled classes for today, citing teachers’ plans to join the strike.

Schools are protesting GD's actions by going on strike. This is the Tbilisi Physics-Mathematics School. Several more schools in Tbilisi and the regions have also joined the strike.#GeorgiaProtests pic.twitter.com/fQniomd8kj

— PUBLIKA (@Publika_ge) December 2, 2024

These developments coincided with the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stressing this morning for a need to 'depoliticise schools'.

GYLA’s Kurdovanidze: 40-70 people detained daily, courts overwhelmed

Nona Kurdovanidze, Chair of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), has reported that the authorities are detaining ‘40-70’ protesters daily, leading to an overload in the courts. Consequently, according to Kurdovanidze, some detainees who were held for the maximum legal limit of 48 hours were released without court hearings.

The Interior Ministry has stated that they have detained a total of 224 people during the protests. 

Academics at BSIU publish joint statement condemning violence against protesters

More than 100 academics at Tbilisi’s Black Sea International University have signed a joint statement distancing themselves from the government’s decision to halt EU accession and condemning the violent crackdown against protesters. 

‘For us, the punitive operation that is being carried out on the protesters who came out to defend the European choice of Georgia is completely unacceptable. It is impossible to be indifferent to the exemplary punishment of young people who defend the country's pro-European political course, among them there are many students and even minors’, the statement read. 

‘The application to suspend Georgia's membership in the European Union until 2028 damages common state interests, contradicts the constitutional record of Georgia's European integration, hinders the process of building a society with Western values, and makes the country internationally isolated from the developed democratic world. China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and other autocratic countries cannot be the guarantors of the progressive development of Georgia and the main international partners. Moreover, one of these countries is an open annex and occupies 20% of the country's territory.

Striving for the Euro-Atlantic Community is the only way to save our country and preserve its sovereignty, Georgia must become a full-fledged member of the European family, this was the conscious choice of our progressive ancestors since the 17th century, it is this choice that our children are defending today, and we stand by them as well’, the statement continued.

Kobakhidze offers ‘dialogue in any format’ to those protesting ‘sincerely’

This morning, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze proposed direct discussions with ‘sincere protesters’ who were demonstrating against his decision to ‘halt’ the country’s EU integration process.

‘I am not referring to violent groups [but] there are also sincere individuals, and it is precisely for them that we offer to hold discussions in any form and format on any issue. If it turns out they are right, of course, there is nothing to prevent any decisions from being made’, Kobakhidze stated. 

Kobakhidze reiterated his gratitude to the Interior Ministry and its head, Vakhtang Gomelauri, for ‘managing the events with standards higher than those in the US and Europe’ and accused all four major opposition parties of ‘coordinating violence’ at the protests.

‘I want to once again remind everyone of the responsibility that may come with attempts to overthrow the constitutional order’, Kobakhidze warned. 

Opposition leader detained in Tbilisi

Zurab Japaridze, the chair of the opposition Girchi - More Freedom party and a leading figure in the larger Coalition for Change group, was arrested this morning on Chavchavadze Avenue in central Tbilisi as riot police pursued protesters.

Another Coalition for Change leader, Nika Gvaramia, stated they were working to determine his whereabouts.

UFC champion decries mistreatment of ‘Georgia's children’

Georgian-Spanish UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria has published a story on his Instagram account, writing in Georgian that he ‘opposed’ the decision to halt negotiations on Georgia’s EU membership and was ‘ashamed of seeing how children of Georgia are being treated’.  

‘We want to ensure a better future for our country. It is essential to continue our path towards European integration, as it represents a future of opportunities and progress for all citizens. Together, we must fight for a democratic and free Georgia’, Topuria wrote. 

Key events from yesterday:

• Protesters gathered en masse in Tbilisi and other cities across Georgia — including in Batumi, Kutaisi, Ozurgeti, Rustavi, and Zugdidi — for the fourth night in a row
• During a press briefing yesterday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze floated conspiracy theories about foreign organisation of protests and hinted that demonstrations near the parliament ‘might be organised by foreign’ individuals
• During the briefing, he also commented on the US decision to suspend its strategic partnership with Georgia, saying the administration of President Joe Biden is ‘trying to leave the most difficult legacy possible to the new administration, the Trump administration’.
• The foreign ministers of the Baltic states made a joint statement saying they had agreed to enact sanctions ‘against those who suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia’. 
• Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili met with opposition members, after which she said that the civil protest must remain spontaneous and self-organised, and promoted the creation of a public fund that will help cover the fines of demonstrators.