Ombudsman calls Interior Ministry crackdown on protesters in Tbilisi unjustified

The protest action in front of the Georgian parliament on Friday, December 6, was peaceful and the Interior Ministry had no grounds to disperse the protesters. The corresponding statement of Georgian Ombudsman Levan Iosseliani was published on his website on December 7.

"By the time law enforcement agencies started dispersing the rally, it was peaceful and there were no legal grounds for dispersing it and interfering with freedom of assembly," the publication reads.

Ioseliani also called on the Georgian ministry to stop dispersing the protesters, to stop the implementation of detentions and the use of special means against the protesters, as well as to give citizens the opportunity to express their protest.

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Earlier in the day it became known that Georgian police started using gas and rolled out water cannons against protesters on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. Izvestia correspondent Ilya Anikeev specified that the crowd of protesters began to disperse at that moment, but the protesters continued to move along Rustaveli Avenue.

Protests continue in Tbilisi over the suspension of negotiations on European integration. The protesters oppose the decision to postpone negotiations with the European Union (EU). The Georgian Interior Ministry reported that 32 police officers required medical assistance after the dispersal of unrest near the parliament building.

On December 2, Georgian security forces were forced to use tear gas to disperse demonstrators in the center of Tbilisi. On November 30, protesters attempted to set fire to the Georgian parliament building and damaged dozens of offices.

Amid these events, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili refused to step down when her term expires at the end of December. In response, Kobakhidze warned that she would be required by law to leave office.

Before that, on November 28, the ruling Georgian Dream party decided to suspend until 2028 discussions with the EU on opening accession talks. As Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze specified, Georgia will continue to fulfill its obligations under the associated membership and free trade agreement and will fulfill them by 90% by 2028.