Fourth night of protests in Georgia ends with crackdown on protesters and new detentions

The more force they use, the angrier people become, because everyone they arrest has relatives, and everyone understands that this is injustice,

said Tamar Kordzaia, a member of Unity National Movement opposition group

We are fighting for our democracy, to protect human rights, human dignity,

said Rusudan Chanturia, who attended Tuesday's protest

I want to remind European bureaucrats and politicians, including those who are artificially hindering our country’s European integration, to bring negotiations to the table, and we will sign immediately, on the same day, at that very moment,

he said

We know we have to fight. It's a peaceful protest, of course but I guess as an individual, I'm ready to defend my country here."

At Tuesday's demonstration, Tsotne, 28, who works in IT, defied the threats of reprisals, saying

Whatever our government is saying is a lie. No one believed it. No one,

he said

Tear gas and water cannons used disproportionately. Massive arrests and ill treatment,

she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The EU stands with the Georgian people and their choice for a European future. The door to the EU remains open and the return of Georgia to the European values and the EU accession path is in the hands of the Georgian leadership.”

After condemning police violence against pro-Europe protesters, the statement concluded

The future is uncertain, but the protests clearly underscore mounting public dissatisfaction with the government’s blunt deviation from Georgia’s European course,

Akhvlediani said

That legislation, seen as Kremlin-inspired, was widely perceived as an attack on civil society, independent media and free speech. It exemplifies the ruling Georgian Dream party’s pattern of democratic backsliding, state capture, rigging elections and attempts to undermine Georgia’s European aspirations.”

Akhvlediani said

Irakli Kobakhidzeprime Minister

On December 29, she will have to leave her residence and surrender this building to a legitimately elected president,

Kobakhidze said on Sunday

The Georgian authorities’ course of actions and democratic backsliding led to the de facto halt of the accession process already in June this year.”

The EU statement read

The protests in Tbilisi are not peaceful,

he said during a news conference on Monday

There is no legitimate parliament. Therefore, an illegitimate parliament cannot elect a new president,

she said in a video on Saturday

Officers were allegedly overheard coordinating to break detainees’ arms or legs, with instructions from their superiors to target the liver and head,

the news release said

We reiterate our call to the Georgian government to return to its Euro-Atlantic path, transparently investigate all parliamentary election irregularities, and repeal anti-democratic laws that limit freedoms of assembly and expression.”

The statement added

We may be dealing with foreign ‘trainers’ organising these violent groups, but this is a matter of investigation,

he added

This movement now extends beyond public demonstrations,

Tinatin Akhvlediani, a research fellow in the EU Foreign Policy Unit at the Brussels-based think tank Centre for European Policy Studies, told Al Jazeera

Targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for election rigging and democratic backsliding, as seen in actions taken by the Baltic states, should be considered,

she said

Everything that is happening in Georgia is its internal business,

he said

We pledge to make every effort for Georgia’s full membership in the EU by 2030,

he said