The Daily Beat: 4 December

Police attacked and arrested the co-leader of the coalition For Change party Nika Gvaramia in front of his party office.  For Change member Gela Khasaia and the founder of the activist group “Dafioni,” Zviad Tsetskhladze, were also taken into custody.

Police raided the homes and offices of the opposition parties and activists, conducting searches without presenting court orders and witness presence. Later, the police loaded trucks with confiscated office equipment and other items from the searched party offices.

The head of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Teimuraz Kupatadze, reported that after police searches of the homes and offices of activists and opposition members, seven were arrested and charged with crimes that foresee sentences of up to nine years in prison.

Later in the day, Police also arrested one of the leaders of the “Strong Georgia” coalition, Aleko Elisashvili, for assaulting Ali Babaevi, the chairman of the Georgian-Azerbaijani National Congress. Babaevi claimed yesterday that Elisashvili had verbally and physically abused him, forcing him to be hospitalized.

Commenting on police raids and arrests, PM Irakli Kobakhidze told the journalists the measures were “prevention, not repression” and spoke about fireworks allegedly purchased by those parties and activists in anticipation of unrest. He also referred to a security service investigation of an alleged coup.

In front of the Marriott Hotel on Freedom Square, mobilized thugs attacked opposition leaders who were meeting at the hotel to discuss future activities. During the physical confrontation, the police joined the thugs in their attack and arrested the athlete and one of the leaders of the opposition party Ahali, Zurab Davitashvili. For more updates on anti-Russia protests and related developments, visit our Live Blog: Aborted EU Accession.

President Salome Zurabishvili has called on international partners to apply strong pressure on the ruling party. ”My urgent call to our partners and those who want to prevent the crisis from going deeper and instability, it is time to put strong pressure on a ruling party that is driving the country over the cliff! Do not be late… !” posted the President on her X account.

The local watchdog Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) issued a statement saying that systemic and violent repressions against civilians should be assessed as a crime against humanity, which can provide grounds for applying to the International Criminal Court. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine plans to sanction the Georgian government, which is “pushing the country into obvious dependence on Russia.” The Ukrainian president stated that the country was preparing a legal response and collaborating with Europeans and other partners on specific measures. He also indicated that he had ordered the preparation of appropriate sanctions decisions.

Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany has announced that no new development cooperation projects with Georgia will be approved or commissioned, and no loan agreements will be signed. This decision follows the recent declaration by Irakli Kobakhidze to halt the country’s EU integration process “until 2028.”

The U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Joe Wilson issued a statement in response to the “de-facto Georgian government’s” crackdown against Georgian activists, protestors, and members of the opposition, stressing the need for personal sanctions by the U.S. State Department and the European allies against “the mayor of Tbilisi, the Minister of the Interior, and all other officials responsible.”

Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressed Russia’s readiness to normalize relations with Georgia, contingent upon Tbilisi’s willingness to do so. “As for the further prospects of normalization of bilateral relations with Georgia, we are ready to follow this path as far as Tbilisi is ready for it… We believe that the Georgian people will have enough foresight and faith not to become a pawn in someone else’s dirty and very dangerous game,” Zakharova said.