The leader of one of Georgia’s opposition parties, Nika Gvaramia, has been detained by police after being beaten unconscious in the capital, Tbilisi, his party said on Wednesday.
The incident involving the Coalition for Change leader comes amid reports of police raids on other opposition parties.
The opposition party posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing several men carrying Gvaramia by the arms and legs down some steps as police raided their offices.
Georgian opposition parties face intimidation
Gvaramia “was dragged by the police and thrown into a detention car as he was physically assaulted and unconscious. This happened on Sharashidze Street,” the Coalition for Change wrote in the social media post.
It was not immediately possible to verify the reports, but the footage appeared to show the 48-year-old Gvaramia not moving while he was being carried away.
Other parties also reported police raids on their offices, with a spokesperson for the United National Movement (UNM) saying its offices had also been raided without a warrant, but nobody had been detained.
Two leaders of another opposition party, Strong Georgia, were reportedly detained by police, according to the Interpress news agency.
Protest over EU accession pause
Georgia has been rocked by unrest since the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claimed victory in a contested October 26 vote.
The situation intensified after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his government would postpone EU accession talks. Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023 and accession is part of the country’s constitution.
The Georgian Dream party and the European Union, however, fell out after the bloc criticized a Russian-inspired law used to discredit criticism of the government. The EU also expressed concerns over the October 26 election that the party won.
In recent days, tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets as mass nationwide protests — with citizens setting up roadblocks, as well as shutting down access to the Black Sea port of Poti — have brought parts of the country to a standstill.
Georgian Dream says it made the decision to protect Georgia against outside meddling in its affairs. The party has been accused of cozying up to Russian interests.
jsi/ab (Reuters, AFP)