Arrests at nighttime protests in Georgia

Arrests at nighttime protests in Georgia
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full screen Widespread protests against the government in Georgia – police respond with arrests. Photo: Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP/TT

Over a hundred protesters have been arrested after widespread protests in Georgia during the night of Saturday. Clashes between police and protesters were reported from several locations, as large demonstrations gathered in protest over Georgia’s decision to suspend EU membership negotiations.

The political rift is overwhelming in Georgia since Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze and the Georgian Dream party chose to turn their backs on the EU, saying new talks are not in the cards until 2028.

The country’s president Salomé Zourabichvili has previously in a televised speech called on Georgia to resume contacts with the EU.

The protests outside the parliament in the capital Tbilisi have been held for two nights in a row, and on Friday night protesters tried to get past the riot fence to get to the parliament building.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 107 people had been arrested during protests.

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