Georgian Journalists Allege Beatings   12/09 06:07

   

   TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- Tens of thousands of people joined an 11th straight 
day of protests in Georgia on Sunday after the governing party suspended 
negotiations on joining the European Union, while a separate demonstration 
decried violence against Georgian journalists covering the rallies.

   Police have been using increasing force in their attempts to curb the 
demonstrations, which have centered on the parliament building in the capital, 
Tbilisi. Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas every day to disperse 
the rallies, beating scores of protesters who threw fireworks at police 
officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital's central boulevard.

   At Saturday night's demonstration, reporter Maka Chikhladze and her 
colleague from the independent Pirveli TV channel were targeted by a violent 
mob, Chikhladze told The Associated Press.

   Chikladze said her colleague managed to capture footage of men dressed in 
black who were beating demonstrators before they turned on the pair, violently 
pushing Chikhladze to the ground. She later told AP that her colleague 
sustained a head injury and had his camera stolen.

   Chikhladze charged that Georgia's government was using bands of thugs to 
deter people from attending anti-government rallies, an allegation denied by 
representatives of the Georgian Dream party.

   On Sunday, several hundred media workers marched down Tbilisi's central 
Rustaveli Avenue before putting up posters of colleagues they say had been 
assaulted while doing their jobs.

   "Our colleagues are beaten, injured, some remain in hospital in serious 
condition," TV Pirveli anchor Ekaterine Mishveladze told AP.

   In a separate incident Saturday, AP journalists saw several masked men 
violently tackle a protester attempting to enter the offices of an opposition 
party, Ahali. The man, Koba Khabazi, lay slumped on the ground while his 
attackers repeatedly kicked him. He later showed AP his head injuries.

   Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the disputed Oct. 26 
election, a vote widely seen as a referendum on Georgia's EU aspirations. The 
opposition and the pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have accused 
the governing party of rigging the vote with neighboring Russia's help and have 
boycotted parliament sessions.

   Opposition protests gained new momentum after the Georgian Dream's decision 
last Thursday to put the EU accession talks on hold.

   Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the rallies and 
beat scores of protesters, who threw fireworks at police officers and built 
barricades on Rustaveli Avenue.

   The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU 
officials. Speaking Thursday at a ministerial conference of the Organization 
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken 
denounced what he described as the brutal "repression of those calling for 
their country to stay on the path to closer ties with Europe."

   Mamuka Mdinanradze, leader of the Georgian Dream party, condemned mob 
violence against protesters during a news briefing Sunday, and denied any 
connection with the government.

   The office of Georgia's rights ombudsman on Sunday issued a statement 
criticizing Georgian police for "failing to take adequate measures" to ensure 
safety during the demonstrations.

   President Zourabichvili, who plays a largely ceremonial role, refused to 
recognize the official election results and contested them before the 
Constitutional Court, which rejected her appeal earlier this week.

   The EU granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that 
the country meets the bloc's recommendations, but put its accession on hold and 
cut financial support in June after the passage of a "foreign influence" law 
that was widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms.

   The law requires organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding 
from abroad to register as "pursuing the interest of a foreign power," similar 
to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.