Concerns on violence in Georgia following Putin style ‘foreign-agent’ law

Riot police cracked down on demonstrators in the Georgian capital Tuesday night, clearing an area in front of the parliament where thousands had been demanding the government drop a controversial Putin-style “foreign agent” law.

Water cannons were used to disperse protesters as riot police charged the crowd several times without warning; dozens were beaten and pushed back. Tear gas, deployed where demonstrators had been standing, added to the chaos, POLITICO reports.

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has strongly condemned violence against protesters in Georgia. 

Several protesters were arrested and beaten, including leading opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili, who posted a photo of himself on X showing severe facial injuries. 

Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili took to social media to criticise the police response to Tuesday night’s demonstrations.

She described the police violence as “totally unwarranted, unprovoked and out of proportion”.

Zourabichvili has vowed to veto the bill if approved by parliament. 

Read more on Euronews & POLITICO

Photo : https://twitter.com/Mikiashvili_M