"I would like to thank the Ministry of Internal Affairs, each police officer, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, who, in compliance with the principle of proportionality, prevented violence and restored order on Rustaveli Avenue. I would like to remind everyone that all violations will be addressed with the full severity of the law," said the illegitimate Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, regarding the violent dispersal of a peaceful protest rally by police forces in Tbilisi on November 28-29.
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“Georgia is a democratic state, and since 2012, everyone in this country has had the right to peaceful protest. However, unfortunately, yesterday's protest quickly escalated beyond the scope of a peaceful demonstration and took on an illegal character. Violent groups from the radical opposition were active, inflicting severe physical and verbal abuse on law enforcement officers. It is clear that these violent groups had been preparing for violence in the second half of December, but we were able to act ahead of them in this case, having already exhausted the accumulated resources. As a result of the protesters' violence, 32 police officers were injured, 13 of whom required surgical intervention,” the illegitimate Prime Minister said, referring to the injuries of journalists during the dispersal of the rally as a result of the protesters’ violence. “This violence also resulted in injuries to peaceful protesters, including journalists, which is extremely regrettable,” he added.
In response to a clarifying question from a Radio Liberty journalist regarding the deliberate attack on Guram Rogava, a journalist with the TV company Formula, by special forces, Irakli Kobakhidze reiterated:
“If there had been no violence on the part of the protesters, there would have been no need to disperse the gathering, and accordingly, no such incidents.”
“Any violation of the law, especially if a violation was committed against a journalist, must, of course, be properly investigated. This is my stance. Naturally, no violation of the law should go unaddressed. I will be particularly interested in the facts surrounding the injuries of journalists,” Kobakhidze said.
At least 20 journalists were injured during the crackdown on the protest rally near the parliament on the night of November 28-29. Employees from both TV companies and online media were among the injured.
Guram Rogava suffered a fractured skull, facial bones, and a broken collarbone. Publica journalist Aleksandre Keshelashvili required surgery on his nose after being illegally detained and severely beaten while carrying out his professional duties.
The riot police began dispersing the peaceful protest rally around 2 a.m., using pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons mixed with chemical irritants against the demonstrators. According to the Public Defender, the Ministry of Internal Affairs violated freedom of assembly, as the rally was peaceful when special means were used to disperse the crowd. “The video footage and information disseminated clearly show numerous instances of the unjustified use of special means against protesters, including politicians, as well as journalists and detainees, with cases of alleged unfounded detention, direct intent to use violence, and deliberate persecution during the dispersal of the peaceful rally,” the Public Defender's statement reads.
43 people were administratively detained at the rally for disobeying a police officer’s orders and for petty hooliganism. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has also initiated a criminal case on charges of assaulting a police officer and damaging or destroying another person’s property.
On November 28, the illegitimate Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, informed the public of the Georgian Dream's decision to suspend the process of joining the European Union. According to Kobakhidze, the issue of opening accession negotiations will not be placed on the agenda until the end of 2028, and EU budget grants will be refused. President Salome Zourabichvili described the decision as the start of a “constitutional coup,” stating that the illegitimate government has declared war on its own people.
