Georgian police arrested two opposition leaders on Sunday during a demonstration against the Georgian party Dream in power.
Tbilisi has seen daily demonstrations since Prime Minister Iraqi Kobakhidze announced that his government would not request the opening of EU membership talks for Georgia before 2028.
What do we know about arrests?
Police arrested the chief of the Liberal party of Akhali, Nika Melia, and the former mayor of Tbilissi Gigi Ugulava, according to several news agency reports.
The Russian interfax news agency reported that Melia was later released on bail.
“At the police station, I was sitting on a handcuffed chair and was struck by a police officer,” said Melia quoted by Interfax.
On Sunday, during the demonstrations, thousands of people gathered in front of a sales complex north of the Georgian capital and briefly blocked a big road.
The Interior Ministry of Georgia warned the demonstrators that blocking the road was a criminal offense.
In the first wave of demonstrations in November, more than 400 demonstrators were arrested, according to the Interior Ministry.
Opposition protests of October election
The Georgian dream of Kobakhidze won the victory in the October elections which, according to the opposition groups, were stolen.
In December, Mikheil Kavelashvili was sworn in as a new president of Georgia after being elected by an electoral college of 300 people dominated by the Georgian dream.
His predecessor, former president Salome Zourabichvili, said that the inauguration of Kavelashvili was fraudulent. Zourabichvili was once considered a Loyerist of Georgian dreams but had been more and more away from the party in recent years.
Georgia also saw generalized demonstrations last year after Tbilissi adopted a law allowing it to more easily monitor NGOs and the media.
SDI / KB (AFP, Reuters)
