43 detained at Tbilisi protests against Georgian Gov’t’s move to suspend EU accession talks until 2028

The Georgian Interior Ministry on Friday said law enforcement had arrested 43 individuals during protests outside the Parliament building in central Tbilisi overnight for “disobedience to police orders” and “petty hooliganism”, as participants rallied against  the Government’s decision to halt the country’s European Union accession talks until 2028. 

The police detentions followed a night of confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement, with the Ministry saying an investigation had also been launched under the criminal code for alleged attacks on police officers or public institutions and property damage “using dangerous means”. 

The body further reported injuries to 32 police officers, with 13 requiring surgery.

In response to the unrest, the Parliament on Friday implemented a “red security level”, restricting building access to all individuals except those deemed “essential” for the body’s work. 

Levan Ioseliani, the Public Defender of Georgia, on Thursday called the rally “peaceful” and later critised the law enforcement's handling of the protests, highlighting allegations of excessive force, interference with journalists, and mistreatment of citizens. 

Twenty-two journalists and cameramen were reportedly assaulted during the rally dispersal, domestic media also reported.

Ioseliani also called on the Special Investigation Service to “promptly investigate” possible misconduct by the law enforcement during the action. The agency on Friday confirmed it had launched an investigation. 

The protests, already present before the Government’s announcement on Thursday, entered a new gear with the development. In his statement announcing and explaining the decision to halt the accession talks, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze cited interest in “dignified” EU integration amid a “cascade of insults and blackmail by European politicians and bureaucrats”. 

He also claimed the country’s Government would “itself fund” the reforms necessary for Georgia’s European integration. 

Demonstrators, who are still gathering in central Tbilisi, have been demanding new general elections, claiming last month’s vote was “rigged” by the current Government. 

President Salome Zourabichvili, who joined the demonstrators on Thursday, urged the diplomatic corps to support the holding of new elections and called for unity among the domestic opposition. 

She also addressed police stationed on Freedom Square, urging them to “honour your duty to the Georgian state and its citizens instead of serving Russian interests”. 

The opposition has also slammed the Government’s move as being “aligned with the Kremlin’s interests”, with opposition leaders appearing at the demonstration.