Pro-European protest in Tbilisi Photo: Zurab Tsertsvadze
The Council of Europe on Friday strongly condemned the brutal suppression of peaceful protests in Tbilisi the night before in support of European integration. The confrontation between demonstrators and law enforcement officers resulted in numerous detentions and injuries, AFP reports.
“Violations of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are unacceptable,” reads the statement of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which met in Luxembourg on this day.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, 43 people were detained during the protests, and 32 law enforcement officers were injured. Clashes erupted after some protesters started throwing firecrackers at the police and tried to tear down metal barriers in front of the parliament building.
The Council of Europe has also expressed concern about the use of the Soviet-era administrative code, which has been repeatedly called for to be abolished, to detain demonstrators. This code is considered to be contrary to the principles of a democratic society.
The protests erupted after the ruling Georgian Dream party decided to postpone EU accession talks until 2028 and refuse European funding. The government accused Brussels of trying to “blackmail” Georgia into starting membership talks.
Despite the fact that Georgia has the status of an EU candidate, its relations with Brussels have deteriorated significantly in recent months. European politicians accuse the Georgian government of pursuing pro-Russian policies and authoritarian tendencies, which casts doubt on Tbilisi’s commitment to European values.
In its statement, the Council of Europe called on the Georgian authorities to remain committed to democratic principles and fulfil their obligations as a member state.
Meanwhile, thousands of Georgians continue to take to the streets, demanding that the government return to the European course and resume membership negotiations.
These events have become a new challenge for Georgia’s European integration path amid a deepening domestic political crisis and international criticism of the ruling government’s actions.
