Violent crackdown on thousands-strong protest in Tbilisi enters second night - photos/videos

Special forces beat protesters in Tbilisi

At least 107 people were detained during a violent police crackdown on thousands of protesters on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament overnight from November 29 to 30. For a second consecutive night, tens of thousands rallied against the government’s decision to halt European Union membership talks until 2028.

More than 150 people have been detained during two days of protests in Tbilisi, according to Georgia’s Interior Ministry, with an additional 10 protesters arrested in Batumi. The ministry warned these figures may rise as authorities continue to review photos and videos from the demonstrations, suggesting further detentions or summons could follow in the coming days.

Riot police used water cannons and pepper spray to disperse protesters, and there were reports of rubber bullets being fired. Dozens of injured protesters, suffering from wounds and chemical burns, were carried to ambulances stationed near the protest epicenter.

The Interior Ministry reported injuries to 10 officers from what it described as “violent actions by protesters,” but did not provide information on injured demonstrators.

After the brutal dispersal of tens of thousands of protesters on the night of November 29, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze publicly praised the security forces. The second night of protests saw an even harsher response.

? Footage circulating widely shows riot police using physical force during detentions, dragging individuals across asphalt to police vehicles and beating those already incapacitated by gas exposure or baton strikes. Groups of citizens were captured en masse, with many incidents of officers assaulting protesters lying on the ground, unable to rise.

Rights group alleges unlawful force in Tbilisi protest crackdown

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) accused law enforcement of breaking the law during the protest crackdown, citing simultaneous use of multiple crowd-control measures, including water cannons, pepper spray, and gas grenades.

GYLA suggested that the Interior Ministry may have directed riot police to harshly punish demonstrators.

Footage widely shared in media shows lawyer Beka Basilaya being detained while giving an interview to TV Pirveli.

Saba Brachvelli, a legal expert with the Soros Foundation’s Open Society, sustained an eye injury he believes was caused by a rubber bullet.

“We were standing near Parliament on Ingorokva Street, about 100 meters from a group of riot police. A water cannon started operating, and then they fired. I was lucky — the bullet hit near my eye instead of directly in it. My brow and cheek are injured,” Brachvelli told TV Pirveli.

Journalists targeted during Tbilisi protest crackdown

Riot police in Tbilisi appeared to target journalists and individuals with cameras during the latest crackdown on protests.

Mariami Gaprindashvili, a reporter for TV Pirveli, suffered a serious head injury while delivering a live report from the demonstration near Parliament. She has been hospitalized, the broadcaster confirmed.

The dispersal of protests in Tbilisi lasted nearly seven hours, driven by the determined resistance of thousands of demonstrators, and concluded at dawn on November 30. This was the scene at 4 a.m.:

The number of casualties is currently being investigated by investigative journalists.

The photos were taken by reporters from JAMnews during the protest.