Georgian journalists allege brutal beatings as protests rage against ending EU talks

A Georgian and EU flags on a partially installed artificial Christmas tree with pictures of fellow demonstrators injured in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

TBILISI, Georgia -

Tens of thousands of people joined an eleventh straight day of protests in Georgia on Sunday after the governing party moved to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union, while a separate demonstration decried violence against Georgian journalists covering the rallies.

Police have been using increasing force in their attempts to curb the demonstrations, which have centered on the parliament building in the capital, Tbilisi. Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas every day to disperse the rallies, beating scores of protesters who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital’s central boulevard.

At Saturday night’s demonstration, reporter Maka Chikhladze and her colleague from the independent Pirveli TV channel were targeted by a violent mob, Chikhladze told The Associated Press.

Chikladze said her colleague managed to capture footage of men dressed in black who were beating demonstrators before they turned on the pair, violently pushing Chikhladze to the ground. She later told AP that her colleague sustained a head injury and had his camera stolen.

Chikhladze charged that Georgia’s government was using bands of thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, an allegation denied by representatives of the Georgian Dream party.

On Sunday, several hundred media workers marched down Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue before putting up posters of colleagues they say had been assaulted while doing their jobs.

“Our colleagues are beaten, injured, some remain in hospital in serious condition,” TV Pirveli anchor Ekaterine Mishveladze told AP.

In a separate incident Saturday, AP journalists saw several masked men violently tackle a protester attempting to enter the offices of an opposition party, Ahali. The man, Koba Khabazi, lay slumped on the ground while his attackers repeatedly kicked him. He later showed AP his head injuries.

Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the disputed Oct. 26 election, a vote widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s EU aspirations. The opposition and the pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with neighboring Russia’s help and have boycotted parliament sessions.

Opposition protests gained new momentum after the Georgian Dream’s decision last Thursday to put the EU accession talks on hold.

Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the rallies and beat scores of protesters, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on Rustaveli Avenue.

A demonstrator shows a banner reading "Our love is louder than your fear" in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials. Speaking Thursday at a ministerial conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced what he described as the brutal “repression of those calling for their country to stay on the path to closer ties with Europe.”

Mamuka Mdinanradze, leader of the Georgian Dream party, condemned mob violence against protesters during a news briefing Sunday, and denied any connection with the government.

The office of Georgia’s rights ombudsman on Sunday issued a statement criticizing Georgian police for “failing to take adequate measures” to ensure safety during the demonstrations.

President Zourabichvili, who plays a largely ceremonial role, refused to recognize the official election results and contested them before the Constitutional Court, which rejected her appeal earlier this week.

The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, but put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June after the passage of a “foreign influence” law that was widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms.

The law requires organizations that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.