Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, Oct. 4 after the Georgian Dream government claimed victory in municipal elections held after months of attacks on almost daily demonstrations, raids on independent media and the jailing of most of the leading opposition figures.
The elections were the first since the increasingly authoritarian and pro-Moscow party claimed a narrow victory in the October 2024 presidential elections that many consider rigged. Major opposition parties boycotted the new elections.
After a small group of protesters attempted to enter the presidential palace grounds, riot police unleashed pepper spray and water cannons on the large crowd, arresting dozens, including the world-renowned opera singer Paata Burchuladze. He had addressed the rally in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square.
“Every person involved in this violent act will be prosecuted,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze threatened, claiming the government had foiled an “attempted coup planned by foreign intelligence services.” He accused European Union officials of backing an “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order.”
While providing no evidence, the government claimed it had discovered a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives outside Tbilisi it said were intended for “subversive acts.”
Georgia has been rocked by protests since December 2024 when the government indefinitely postponed talks on joining the EU, saying they wouldn’t be rescheduled until at least 2028. Riot police brutally attacked the first demonstrations, arresting more than 300 and injuring over 100. Protests, large and small, have continued since then.
A country of 3.7 million people, Georgia declared independence in 1991 when the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union collapsed. There is widespread opposition to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and many Georgians fear they will find themselves under Moscow’s thumb again. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime invaded Georgia in 2008 to try to reassert Moscow’s domination. He pulled back his forces later, but still occupies South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Moscow is building a new naval base.
Georgian Dream was formed and bankrolled by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a multibillionaire capitalist who made his fortune in banking and steel in Russia. By far the richest man in Georgia, his party has been in office for 13 years.
“We’ve said that we will be here until the end, and we’re still here,” Gota Chanturia, one of the protesters in Tbilisi, told The Associated Press. Almost every day for nearly a year Chanturia has joined rallies in Freedom Square outside Georgia’s parliament. The civics teacher said he’s racked up $102,000 in fines, about 10 times the average annual salary in Georgia. He was charged with blocking roads 56 times. The government considers participation in a protest “blocking the streets.” Chanturia says he hasn’t paid the fines and doesn’t plan to.
These types of charges have been levied against hundreds of protesters, with authorities using surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition to target demonstrators. More than 60 have been thrown in prison.