Georgian Protesters And Police Clash After Prime Minister Suspends Talks On Joining The EU | rssama.com

Police utilized h2o cannons, capsicum spray and tear state precocious Thursday to disperse protesters who took to nan streets pursuing nan announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of nan ruling Georgian Dream party.

Georgian Dream claimed triumph successful past month’s parliamentary predetermination that nan guidance successful nan South Caucasus federation dismissed arsenic fraudulent and that has been condemned by European officials. The predetermination connected Oct. 26 was wide seen arsenic a referendum connected nan country’s aspirations to subordinate nan European Union and nan ruling statement had indicated to voters that it would proceed to activity rank of nan bloc.

The interior ministry said it detained 43 group during nan protests.

President Salome Zourabichvili said nan authorities declared “war” connected its ain group and confronted riot constabulary astatine nan protest, asking them whether they served Russia aliases Georgia.

The Georgian president, who has a mostly ceremonial role, antecedently said nan ruling statement rigged nan predetermination pinch nan thief of Russia, which antecedently ruled Georgia from Moscow erstwhile it was portion of nan Soviet Union.

She said nan determination to suspend EU rank marked nan “conclusion of nan law coup which has been unfolding for respective weeks.”

The government’s announcement that it was suspending negotiations to subordinate nan EU came hours aft nan European Parliament adopted a solution that condemned past month’s ballot arsenic neither free nor fair, representing yet different manifestation of nan continued antiauthoritarian backsliding “for which nan ruling Georgian Dream statement is afloat responsible.”

European predetermination observers said October’s ballot took spot successful a divisive atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and beingness violence.

A female pinch EU and Georgian nationalist flags stands successful beforehand of constabulary blocking a thoroughfare during a rally to request caller parliamentary elections successful nan country, adjacent nan Parliament's building successful Tbilisi, Georgia, connected Nov. 25, 2024.

AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov

The EU granted Georgia campaigner position successful December 2023 connected information that it meet nan bloc’s recommendations, but put its accession connected clasp and trim financial support earlier this twelvemonth aft nan transition of a “foreign influence” rule wide seen arsenic a rustle to antiauthoritarian freedoms.

EU lawmakers urged a rerun of nan parliamentary ballot wrong a twelvemonth nether thorough world supervision and by an independent predetermination administration. They besides called connected nan EU to enforce sanctions and limit general contacts pinch nan Georgian government.

The Georgian premier curate fired back, denouncing what he described arsenic a “cascade of insults” from nan EU politicians and declaring that “the ill-wishers of our state person turned nan European Parliament into a blunt limb of blackmail against Georgia, which is simply a awesome ugliness for nan European Union.”

“We will proceed connected our way toward nan European Union; however, we will not let anyone to support america successful a changeless authorities of blackmail and manipulation, which is utterly disrespectful to our state and society,” Kobakhidze said. “We must intelligibly show definite European politicians and bureaucrats, who are wholly devoid of European values, that they must speak to Georgia pinch dignity, not done blackmail and insults.”

Kobakhidze besides said Georgia would cull immoderate budgetary grants from nan EU until nan extremity of 2028.

Critics person accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his luck successful Russia — of becoming progressively authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The statement precocious pushed done laws akin to those utilized by nan Kremlin to ace down connected state of reside and LGBTQ+ rights.

The EU suspended Georgia’s rank exertion process indefinitely successful June, aft parliament passed a law requiring organizations that person much than 20% of their backing from overseas to registry arsenic “pursuing nan liking of a overseas power,” akin to a Russian rule utilized to discredit organizations captious of nan government.

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