Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the Georgian capital after the authorities' violent action the night before against protest participants due to the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union, the Georgian service of Radio Free Europe reported.
Many protesters called for the release of those arrested at previous protest rallies. The Georgian police announced that 48 people had been detained the previous night.
At the protest on Friday evening, half an hour after midnight, the police began to disperse the demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building. Members of the special police unit detained several people at Trg Republike at 1.30:XNUMX a.m.
Among those detained is Cotne Koberidze, a member of the Tbilisi City Council from the opposition party More Freedom. A young woman who stood in front of the cordon for several minutes was also detained.
Tensions have been rising in Georgia since the ruling Georgian Dream party won an October 26 election that the pro-Western opposition and Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili say was rigged with Moscow's help.
Zurabishvili on Friday called on Prime Minister Irakli Kobahidze to resign as pressure mounts on the government amid a violent crackdown on demonstrations.
She traveled to Paris on Saturday for ceremonies marking the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, which was rebuilt after a fire in 2019.
Zurabishvili met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris and thanked him for the support of the Caucasian country.
Last week's announcement by Georgian Dream that it would end negotiations on joining the EU until 2028 further fueled discontent, after which thousands of Georgians flooded the streets around the parliament in protest.
The largely peaceful protesters faced brutal actions by security forces, resulting in dozens of people - including members of the opposition and journalists covering the events - receiving medical treatment.
The Prosecutor's Office announced that it is charging nine people with organizing and participating in group violence during protests in Tbilisi.
Opposition leaders rejected accusations by Georgian Dream that the violence was the result of a conspiracy with the help of foreign agents to cause chaos.
The opposition also calls for new elections, stating that without a new vote, the restoration of democratic legitimacy is impossible.
Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs told RFE/RL on Friday that a total of 338 people were detained for misdemeanors during the protests, which security forces tried to quell with water cannons, large amounts of tear gas and batons.
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