<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/05/georgia-irakli-kobakhidze-crackdown-dissent-tbilisi-protests>
"Georgia’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, has announced a sweeping
crackdown on dissent, accusing demonstrators who tried to storm the
presidential palace of aiming to topple his government and blaming the European
Union for interference in his country.
Kobakhidze levelled his allegations a day after protesters attempted to breach
the presidential palace as local elections were being held. They were stopped
by riot police using pepper spray and water cannon.
“No one will escape responsibility. This includes political responsibility,”
the Georgian news agency
Interpress quoted the prime minister as saying.
Officers detained at least five demonstrators, including two members of the
United National Movement, the largest opposition party, and the opera singer
turned activist Paata Burchuladze.
Local media cited the health ministry as saying 21 members of the security
forces and six demonstrators had been injured in clashes in the centre of
Tbilisi.
The South Caucasus country has been in turmoil since Kobakhidze’s ruling
Georgian Dream (GD) party claimed victory in last year’s parliamentary
election, which the pro-EU opposition says was stolen. Since then, Tbilisi’s
talks on joining the bloc have been frozen.
Kobakhidze said up to 7,000 people attended Saturday’s opposition rally but
their “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order” had been thwarted despite
what he said was EU backing.
“Several people have already been arrested – first and foremost the organisers
of the attempted overthrow,” he told reporters, saying the country’s main
opposition force “will no longer be allowed to be active in Georgian politics”.
Opposition figures had called for a “peaceful revolution” against GD, which
they accuse of being pro-Russian and authoritarian. The party has been in power
since 2012."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
