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Violent protests erupted in Georgia
The protests erupted in Georgia after the leader of the pro-Putin Dream Party halted EU accession talks over claims of foreign interference in the country. (Credit: AP)
More than 40 people have been hospitalized after a brutal police crackdown on protesters in the former Soviet state of Georgia. Pro-Russian support Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital, Tbilisi, for a fourth night on Sunday after Kobakhidze’s ruling party, known as the Dream Party, suspended the country’s 15-year push for independence. To join the European Union (EU) last week.
“Any violation of the law will be met with the full force of the law,” Kobakhidze said during a weekend briefing. “Neither will the politicians who hide in their offices and sacrifice members of their violent gangs for severe punishment escape responsibility.”
Georgia’s prime minister praised the country’s crackdown on protests despite US condemnation
According to Georgia’s Interior Ministry, about 44 people, including 27 protesters, 16 police officers and a member of the media, were hospitalized on Sunday after police clashed with civilians and used water cannons and tear gas while rioting. The protesters threw firecrackers. .
In his comments, Kobakhidze insisted that Georgia’s integration process has not been stopped and said, “The only thing we have rejected is shameful and aggressive blackmail, which is actually an obstacle to our country’s European integration.” was the main obstacle.”
The government’s decision to block EU integration comes hours after the European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday. Condemned the Georgia general election. Neither free nor fair as last month.
Kobakhidze, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and is a supporter. Russian President Vladimir PutinAllegations of rigging in the general election came under pressure from abroad and at home.
Georgia, which left the Soviet Union in 1991, has for decades leaned on Western support in an effort to break away from Moscow’s influence over the country – which saw a Russian invasion in 2008.
Demonstrators use firecrackers against police as police disperse protesters outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday morning, November 30, 2024, against the government’s decision to suspend EU accession talks for four years. A road was blocked to stop the protesters. (AP Photo/Zarab Tsertsvadze)
Protesters in the breakaway region of Georgia stormed the Putin-backed parliament
However, under the Dream Party, Georgia is increasingly pursuing authoritarian policies and general. Unrest is on the rise in the country..
The government has claimed this. Recent policy changes The move is to protect the country from foreign interference and avoid being dragged into a war like Ukraine. However, critics of the Georgian government point to recent trends in Tbilisi that could be interpreted as attempts to accommodate policies favored by Putin.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallis and enlargement commissioner Marta Kos issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning the Georgian government’s decision to suspend EU accession talks and “the continued democratic marginalization of the country”. He reiterated serious concerns about
“We note that this announcement marks a change from the policies of all previous Georgian governments and the European aspirations of the majority of the Georgian people, as enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia,” the statement said.
EU officials urged Georgian authorities to “respect the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, and refrain from the use of force against peaceful protesters, politicians and media representatives.”
A protester waves an EU flag during a rally outside parliament to protest the government’s decision to suspend EU accession talks for four years, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tbilisi, Georgia. (AP Photo/Zarab Tsertsvadze)
The United States similarly condemned the violence against the protesters and argued that the move to suspend Georgia’s EU accession “goes against the promise to the Georgian people enshrined in their constitution to be fully integrated into the European Union and NATO.” Advance integration.”
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“By suspending Georgia’s EU accession process, the Georgian Dream has rejected the opportunity for closer ties with Europe and made Georgia more vulnerable to the Kremlin,” the State Department said on Sunday.
Kobakhidze dismissed the comments from the Biden administration, saying, “You can see that the outgoing administration is trying to leave the new administration with as difficult a legacy as possible. They’re doing that with regard to Ukraine, and Now about Georgia.”
“It will not be of any fundamental importance. We will wait for the new administration and discuss everything with them,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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