Demonstrations in Tbilisi: "The government of Georgia is controlled by Moscow, we reject Russian slavery"

Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in Georgia's capital Tbilisi on Sunday, April 9, as the Black Sea nation's government faces accusations of backsliding in democracy, AFP reported.and Radio Free Europe.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Georgian parliament in a rally organized by the country's main opposition force, the United National Movement, founded by jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Demonstrators waved Georgian, Ukrainian and European flags and held a huge banner reading "For the European future".

The Georgian Dream party government faces accusations of imprisoning opponents, silencing independent media, colluding with the Kremlin and derailing the country from membership in the European Union (EU).

"The government of Georgia is controlled by Moscow, and it is our duty to save our homeland from Russian puppets," former Georgian President Georgi Margvelashvili told the crowd.

"We are a nation that loves freedom, we want to be part of the European family and we reject Russian slavery," he added.

One of the protesters, 27-year-old painter Luka Kavsadze, told AFP that "our struggle will be peaceful and will bring us to where we belong - the European Union."

Last month, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi after parliament gave initial support to a draft law "on foreign agents", similar to legislation used in Russia to stifle opposition.

The draft law, which drew strong criticism from the European Union and the United States, was withdrawn under pressure from street demonstrations in which police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Saakashvili, president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013, is serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power, a sentence that international rights groups have condemned as politically motivated.

Doctors said that this pro-Western reformer was in danger of death due to a series of serious conditions he developed in prison.

The ruling party emphasized that it remains committed to Georgia's membership in the EU and NATO, which are established in the constitution, and which, according to polls, is supported by 80 percent of the population.

But ruling party leaders stepped up their anti-Western rhetoric after Washington last week denied visas to four powerful judges in Georgia over alleged corruption. The move marked the latest tightening of Washington's approach to its ally after concerns over Tbilisi's tilt toward Russia.

Georgia, along with Ukraine and Moldova, applied for EU membership days after Russia invaded Ukraine, their western neighbor, in February 2022.

Last June, EU leaders granted formal candidate membership status to Ukraine and Moldova, but said Georgia must implement reforms first.