Opposition leaders have begun to be detained in Georgia
Seven people have been detained following searches of the homes of opposition party leaders in Georgia. This was stated in a statement by the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is noted that they face up to 9 years in prison on charges of organizing and leading group violence during protests.
The previously detained leader of the opposition coalition "For Change" Nika Gvarimia was transferred to the Marneuli pretrial detention center. In addition, a criminal case has been opened against one of the leaders of the opposition party "Strong Georgia" Aleko Elisashvili for the attack on the chairman of the National Congress of Azerbaijanis of Georgia and a member of the ruling party "Georgian Dream" Ali Babayev.
Meanwhile, one of the heads of the special forces of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs Irakli Shaishmelashvili resigned. "Family circumstances" are given as the reason for the dismissal. At the same time, he attached the flags of Georgia and the EU to his post about the dismissal.
The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions against the Georgian authorities. According to the Ukrainian leader, this is a legal response to the actions of the country's government to disperse the protests.
The United States is also preparing to impose new sanctions in response to the undermining of democracy in Georgia. This is stated in a statement by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Mass protests in Georgia have been going on for seven days. Thousands of people are protesting against the authorities' decision to postpone negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union until 2028. Special forces are forcibly dispersing demonstrators, with hundreds of people reported detained and injured.
