Violent rally dispersal in Tbilisi

Tens of thousands gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi overnight to protest the Georgian authorities’ decision to suspend negotiations with the European Union until 2028.

Demonstrators were met with water cannons and tear gas on multiple occasions. Dozens, including journalists and politicians, were assaulted.

Elene Khoshtaria, a prominent opposition leader, suffered a broken arm during the violent dispersal, according to the “Coalition for Change” opposition alliance. Nana Malashkhia, the coalition’s top parliamentary candidate, sustained a broken nose.

Numerous reports indicate that during the crackdown, special forces specifically targeted journalists. Guram Rogava, a journalist and anchor for Formula TV, was brutally beaten. A special forces officer attacked him from behind while he was holding a microphone and broadcasting live. Rogava was taken to the hospital with a head injury.

Alexandre Keshelashvili, a journalist for the online outlet Publika, was also detained and beaten. He is currently in the hospital, and it is suspected that his nose is broken.

JAMnews correspondent Yulia Kalaban sustained injuries, including a cut on her leg, and was sprayed in the face with pepper spray, which triggered an allergic reaction.

Security forces widely used pepper spray directly on camera operators in an apparent attempt to disrupt their work.

According to his family, poet Zviad Ratiani has been arrested. Friends have also reported that Forbes Georgia editor-in-chief Shota Digmelashvili was detained and taken from the protest.

Prime Minister’s statement as trigger for protests

Protests erupted spontaneously in Tbilisi and several other cities after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held a meeting with the parliamentary majority and the government team on the evening of November 28, followed by a briefing at the Georgian Dream headquarters.

During the briefing, he announced that Georgia was suspending its process of integration into the European Union until 2028.

Georgian PM: Decision made to postpone EU talks until end of 2028

According to Kobakhidze, talks with the EU are being used as a tool for blackmail and to divide Georgian society.

“We have decided not to raise the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union until the end of 2028,” the prime minister said, explaining the decision by claiming that the EU is allegedly using this issue to blackmail Georgia.

Kobakhidze’s statement came after a European Parliament resolution, which declared the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia rigged. The European Parliament stated it does not recognize the results and called for sanctions against the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

European Parliament: Georgia’s October 26 elections 'rigged' – What’s in resolution?

According to the document, the European Parliament refuses to recognize the election results and demands re-election

What happened during overnight protests in Tbilisi

Initially, protesters in Tbilisi gathered in three locations: outside the Parliament, the Georgian Dream headquarters, and the Presidential Administration. By 10 p.m., tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on the Parliament building, turning the protest into a massive rally that lasted through the night.

Special forces, the criminal police, and specialized equipment were deployed along Rustaveli Avenue.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili personally joined the protest, appealing to the special forces not to use violence against participants. Early on November 29, she posted on her X page, expressing hope for a firm response from European leaders to what she called the “extremely brutal dispersal” of the protests in Tbilisi.

The day before, Zourabichvili issued a statement condemning the authorities’ decision to suspend EU negotiations, describing it as “their final turn away from Europe toward Russia.” She urgently contacted ambassadors from Western partner countries, as well as opposition and civil society representatives, calling on them to unite and “fight to the end.” Zourabichvili also declared herself the “only constitutional authority in the country” as president.

Georgia’s president urged the people, opposition, and diplomats to “resist and fight to the end”

Salome Zourabichvili: “The illegitimate government of Georgia has declared war on its own people”

Early in the morning, around 6:30 a.m., a large group of police and special forces moved along Rustaveli Avenue toward Republic Square. On their way, they beat and detained protesters. Numerous reports and videos show special forces storming pharmacies and dragging out protesters who had sought refuge there.

In many cases, pharmacy staff confronted the special forces to protect those inside.

The physical violence against citizens was primarily carried out by special forces. However, many masked individuals dressed in black, carrying backpacks, and lacking any identifying marks on their clothing, were also actively involved.

Media outlets and human rights organizations have launched investigations to determine which service these unidentified individuals belonged to.

The total number of arrests remains unclear, but it is likely to be in the dozens.

Photos by David Pipia, Yulia Kalaban / JAMnews.

Violent rally dispersal in Tbilisi