Georgia marks one year since protests began over suspension of EU accession talks

A protester took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi tonight to mark 365 days since the start of the ongoing demonstrations against the government's decision to suspend EU accession talks, the Associated Press reported.

With drums, whistles, banners and flags, thousands of protesters marched down Rustaveli Boulevard, the main thoroughfare in the city center.

The daily rallies began on Nov. 28, 2024, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia was suspending accession talks with the EU.

After the prime minister's speech, thousands of protesters filled the streets, heading to the parliament building in Tbilisi and organizing demonstrations in other major cities.

Although the number of rallies has gradually decreased since then, protesters have continued to gather every day.

The government is taking away from us "the future that our ancestors fought for and that we are proud of", said protester Sopo Batilashvili.

The ruling "Georgian Dream" party has tried to restrict movement by tightening rules on organizing public gatherings and also by passing a series of laws targeting human rights groups, non-governmental organizations and independent media.

According to critics, some of them are modeled on laws adopted in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has silenced dissent, the Associated Press notes.

Wearing masks, blocking roads and erecting barricades now carry up to 15 days of administrative arrest for protest participants and 20 days for organizers. Previously, the law provided for a fine of 500 Georgian lari ($185) for a first offense. Now the amount is ten times higher - 5,000 lari ($1,850). Criminal charges are filed for repeated offenses.

Hundreds have been detained under the new law. Among them is Rusiko Kobakhidze, a mother of nine and a researcher at the Center for the Study of the Soviet Past, who has been protesting daily outside parliament.

Kobakhidze has been arrested twice this month for blocking a street during protests and has been sentenced to one and four days behind bars.

"I don't want my children and grandchildren to live in a country where they can't speak freely - where they will be treated unfairly and won't be able to get justice," she told The Associated Press.

The authorities have also stepped up pressure on opposition parties.

"Georgian Dream" has asked the Constitutional Court to ban the three largest opposition parties - "Unity - National Movement" (UNM), "Coalition for Change" ("Akhali") and "Lelo" (which is part of the "Strong Georgia" coalition).

Several opposition leaders are in prison, in exile or facing criminal charges that opponents say are politically motivated.

Tina Bokuchava, chairwoman of the END, said that the ruling party, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, "is essentially implementing every strategic goal of Vladimir Putin regarding Georgia".

Despite the freeze on accession talks, representatives of "Georgian Dream" insist that Georgia's European path remains unchanged.

"We are pursuing a foreign policy of integration into the EU and NATO. "In this regard, nothing has been stopped and nothing has changed," said Mariam Lashhi, a lawmaker from the ruling party.

She added that international pressure should not affect "internal socio-economic development policies."

The EU's enlargement report of November 4th said that the Georgian authorities were retreating from democratic standards. It noted that their "repressive actions are completely incompatible with European democratic values."