Georgia’s police use water cannons to push back protesters trying to storm presidential palace
TBIISI, Georgia (AP) – Police in Georgia, the South Caucasus country, in the middle of an opposition raid, the main opposition blocks boycotted by the election of a municipality, the presidential palace trying to throw back the protesters to push the protesters used water cannons and black pepper gas.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the capital Tbilisi to protest against oppressive policies by the Georgian Dream, which they saw that they were trying to attract Georgia from their democratic desires and Russia’s orbit.
They carried Georgian flags and banners supporting membership to the European Union, a valuable target for many of the country’s constitution.
The Georgian dream stopped negotiations on participating in the block last year, triggered the protest waves met with mass arrests and police violence. The movement has long for a long time after the ruling party declared a victory A choice that says the opposition is fraudulent.
Although there were large and small rallies, it continued A versatile pressure by the government Through laws aiming at demonstrators, rights groups, non -governmental organizations and independent media. Critics say there are some Modeled on the legislation accepted in RussiaPresident Vladimir Putin, where the opposition drowned hard.
“We are fighting for our rights for independence, Soph Protest Sophio Asatani told Associated Press on Saturday. He said he did not want to return to the Soviet period, where Georgia was ruled from Moscow.
Experienced opera singer Paata Burchuladze, including rally organizers, called the protesters to “take back to the hands of the people” and tried to close the key opposition figures, to close the critical media, and largely used mass arrest and perpendicular fines against peaceful demonstrators.
Some then tried to force the entrance to the presidential palace in the center of Tbilisi and smashed the door before it was deported by the rebellion police.
Before the municipal elections on Saturday, the opposition promised a “peaceful revolution ğı, which most of the sides criticizing the Georgian dream. The preliminary data obtained from the Central Election Commission participated in less than 30% in the first half of the day.
Giorgi Rukhadze, a political analyst in Tbilisi, one of the protesters marching on Saturday, rejected the vote as a “fake election ..
“(Georgian Dream) The only way to put it from power in a peaceful way is obdir, it is an incompatibility,” he said, arguing that people should participate in any peaceful protest for themselves.
Georgian police said that the ongoing rally on Saturday violated the Public Councils and Georgian laws regulating their protests. It did not provide details.
Shortly after the surveys were closed on Saturday evening, Georgia’s Central Election Commission said that the vote did not pass without a major discomfort. The added results will be explained within hours.
More than 50 international and local groups were recorded to observe the municipal vote. However, in 2021, the delegations of the European Parliament, which watched the previous vote, the security and cooperation organization in Europe and the US’s major international non -profit organizations were none of the major international guards.
Georgian Dream’s latest oppressive laws and a wider degradation in political and legal environment, and Georgian non -governmental organizations chose not to use tasks.
