More than 40 people injured in protests in Georgia

More than 44 people were injured during protests in Georgia that broke out after the country's government announced it was suspending negotiations on joining the European Union, local officials said today.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced that 27 protesters, 16 police officers and one journalist were hospitalized.

During the previous night, several tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of the parliament, throwing stones and setting off fireworks, while the police used force to disperse them.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobahidze warned that "any violation of the law will be met with the full severity of the law."

He said that it was not true that the European integration of Georgia was stopped: "The only thing we rejected was the shameful and insulting blackmail, which, in fact, was a significant obstacle to the European integration of our country," he explained.

Kobahidze also rejected the US State Department's statement to suspend its strategic partnership with Georgia: "You see that the outgoing administration is trying to leave the new administration as difficult a legacy as possible. They are doing it in connection with Ukraine and now with Georgia," he said.

The disputed victory of the ruling Georgian Dream party in parliamentary elections on October 26, seen as a referendum on Georgia's aspirations to join the EU, sparked large demonstrations and led to a boycott of parliament by the opposition.

The opposition said the vote was rigged with Russian help so Moscow could keep Tbilisi in its orbit.

Speaking to The Associated Press on Saturday, Georgia's pro-Western President Salome Zourabishvili said the Georgian Dream controls major institutions. "We are not looking for a revolution. We are looking for new elections, but under conditions that will ensure that the will of the people is no longer falsely represented or stolen," she said.

The EU MPs called for a repeat of the parliamentary elections within a year under international supervision and independent election administration. They also called on the EU to impose sanctions and limit formal contacts with the Georgian government.

The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on the condition that it meets the bloc's recommendations, but put its accession on hold and cut financial support earlier this year after passing a "foreign influence" law believed to have been influenced by Russia and that it represents an attack on democratic freedoms.