Georgia goes to a tough protest in legislation against the background of political crisis – FirstPost

The Georgian Government plans to a set of legislative measures to impose more severe protest offenses with some penalties that apply to several years of imprisonment. This step comes when the nation of the South Caucasus remains drawn into a constant political crisis.

Since November, Georgians have been conducting demonstrations every night in response to the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream Party to suspend negotiations on membership in the European Union by 2028. The sharp removal of efforts from entry into the EU noted a sharp departure from its long -standing aspirations.

Demonstrations have made a rapid repression in the police, resulting in hundreds of arrests and beating, they say rights. The government defended police actions, assuming that the shadow forces were trying to organize riots and lose power.

The proposed amendments will increase the duration of prison for minor administrative offenses from 15 to 60 days, as well as increase the penalties and periods of detention for small hooliganism, insulting the police and other violations.

The confrontation, threats and use of violence against police officers will lead to a prison from five -10 years.

Declaring plans on Monday, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Senior Legislator of the Georgian Dream, stated that the government was responding to attempts to “external forces … destroy and weaken the state and its institutions.”

He did not directly define the “external forces”, but suggested that the US Embassy encouraged protesters.

“If someone believes that what is happening on the streets, regardless of the US Embassy, ​​they know nothing about what is happening on the streets,” Mdinaradze quoted at Interpress information agency.

The US Embassy in Tbilisi did not immediately respond to a comment request.

Georgia has traditionally been one of Washington’s strongest allies in the former Soviet Union, but critics say that the Georgian dream is now taking the country in a more authoritarian and Purussian direction.

Eight protesters, including the former mayor of Tbilisi Ugulava, threaten up to four years in prison for trying to block the freeway, according to the charges filed by the Georgian authorities on Tuesday and quoted by local media.

The Georgian police arrested two opposition leaders on Sunday during a protest on the ruling party, which was accused of democratic distance and in reverse Tbilisi closer to Russia.

The announcement of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on November 28 stating that his office would not open negotiations on membership in the European Union with Brussels until 2028, was further facilitated by the demonstration.

On Sunday, the police detained the leader of the Liberal Provisional Party Ahali, Nica Melia and the former mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulav, an outstanding opposition figure, AFP reporter.

The arrests were made when thousands of protesters tried to block the entrance to the highway to the capital, Tbilisi.

Melia and Uglav spent years in prison for the reign of a Georgian dream of being accused that human rights groups were denied as politically motivated.

Several other people were also detained during a protest, at least one of them was injured.

An unprecedented crisis

Georgia’s best official, Ombudsman Levan Josseliani and Amnesty International, accused the police of the arrested.

The video published by the media showed that Amaglobel was slapping the police chief Batumi on protest. Witnesses and her lawyers say the police physically and orally abuse it in advance, and slap – her reaction to this.

The abuse continued while in custody, when the police chief “spat on the face of Mzia and denied her access to drinking water or the use of the toilet,” – said her lawyer Juba Sikaridze.

The authorities were investigating the accusation, the lawyer stated. The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to the AP request for comment.

Kobakhidze stated that the authorities would explore any excessive use of force, but in the case of Amaglobel its actions came out “in front of the cameras.”

“This crime is absolutely clear,” the Prime Minister said.

Amaglobeli, who founded independent media -Satumelebi and acne, began a hunger strike in protest, and now supporters of Georgian and Western rights say that her life is in danger.

Michael O’Falaertes, the Council of the European Commissioner for Human Rights, said Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the Amaglobeli situation “requires urgent action”.

“It is not only a matter of freedom and imprisonment is a matter of life and death. And I very much hope that the authorities will act at the necessary speed in this extremely difficult situation, ”O’Flasharte quoted.

The arrest of Amaglobeli influenced other journalists, said Nedan Tsethladze, editor Netgazeti.

“If they treat the founder of the most outstanding independent media, director and media manager, who is free from any political influence and influential groups, others can be treated equally or worse,” Tsethladze AP said.

The outstanding actor sees the scene KaCKESKA

Another outstanding Georgian imprisonment, which took part in the protests, is Andro Chichinadze, theater and film actor. 28 -year -old Chichinazde actively participated in the protests that prevailed in November.

Police raid on his house and arrested him on December 5, and he was threatened with “participation in group violence”, punishable by nine years of imprisonment.

His lawyers say prosecutors have a video about Chichinadze, rocking the stick and throwing a bottle they claim to be thrown at him by police. They also say that there is no evidence that he did not hit anyone, and no one has made the victim of his intended violence.

Chicinadze denied the charges. At the intention of custody, he compared himself with the “Kafka’s character, who judged and could not understand what was happening to him.”

His mother of summer Gunzadze called the case against her son “absurd, simply absurd” in an interview with AP.

With entrances from agencies