The Daily Beat: 11 December
French President Emmanuel Macron held an hour-long phone conversation with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the patron of the ruling Georgian Dream party. According to the French press release, Macron condemned violence against peaceful demonstrators and called for the release of all those who had been arbitrarily arrested during the protests. The call of the President of France follows President Salome Zurabishvili‘s recent visit to France, where she met with Emanuel Macron and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Abkhaz media reported that the Enguri hydroelectric plant, a critical energy source for the region, had been forced into an emergency shutdown due to critically low water levels in its reservoir and insufficient inflows. For now, the overnight energy conservation protocol remains in effect, urging residents to conserve electricity between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. The shutdown has sparked criticism of the occupied region’s leadership, with former de facto officials and analysts pointing to years of economic mismanagement.
Giorgi Gabunia, Director General of the opposition-leaning Mtavari Arkhi TV, claims that Zaza Okuashvili, one of the channel’s founders, is pressuring the channel to shut down. He accused Okuasvhili of trying to patch up a business dispute with Bidzina Ivanishvili, patron of the ruling Georgian Dream party, by putting Mtavari Arkhi TV off the air during the ongoing political crisis. Despite the challenges, Gabunia assured the public that the channel would continue to operate as long as possible.
Civil servants currently employed in the public sector, along with those who resigned in response to the Georgian Dream government’s decision to suspend EU integration until 2028, gathered at Republic Square. They then marched to Rustaveli Avenue to join the rally in front of the parliament building. They are sending a clear message to civil servants who feel intimidated and unable to speak out amid the political turmoil, urging them to join the protests. It has been a fortnight since demonstrators have been holding mass anti-government rallies in Tbilisi and throughout Georgia.
According to a statement by the Public Defender’s Office, from November 28 to December 11, its representatives visited 352 individuals in detention centers and hospitals, out of which 226 reported mistreatment by law enforcement, and 157 had visible injuries. For more updates on anti-Russia protests and related developments, visit our Liveblog: Resistance.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) representatives have called on EU foreign affairs ministers who will discuss Georgia on December 16 to demand an independent investigation into Georgia’s response to ongoing protests and to impose sanctions on officials responsible for violence against protesters. The statement encourages the EU to apply its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to impose sanctions on officials responsible for authorizing and executing violence against protesters in Georgia.