In Georgia, mass anti-government protests continue for the second week, in which even public sector workers have joined. The demonstrators are opposing the actions of the authorities, which, in their opinion, violate democratic principles and the European course of the country.
"We remain loyal to the Constitution and society, we remain committed to the European course," said Giga Sopromadze, an employee of the Tbilisi City Hall. According to him, the protesters are against the freezing of the EU integration process until 2028 and the intimidation methods used by the authorities.
Recently, the Georgian parliament passed amendments to the law on civil service, which make it much more difficult for dismissed civil servants, in particular those who lost their positions due to political reasons, to return to work. This draft law was supported by 87 deputies, although its legitimacy is not recognized by the president and the opposition.
Simultaneously with the protests in the country, the situation around one of the largest opposition television channels in Georgia, Mtavari Arkhi, . His employees issued an emergency statement, warning of the possible closure of the channel.
The director general of the channel, Giorgiy Gabunia, said that co-founder Zaza Okruashvili made the decision to close, which he said was beneficial to pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. The actions of the channel's management have already led to the loss of funding and the gradual termination of contracts, which jeopardizes the further work of the mass media.
The European Union is closely monitoring the situation in Georgia. At the meeting of the Council on Foreign Affairs of the EU, scheduled for December 16, new sanctions against representatives of the Georgian authorities will be discussed.
The EU statement emphasizes that the actions of the Georgian authorities, in particular the "Georgian Dream" party, caused the de facto freezing of European integration. "The ongoing democratic rollback and repressive measures have consequences for our bilateral relations," the statement said.
The European Union condemned the repression against protesters, journalists and opposition leaders and called for the release of all detainees. Special attention was paid to the investigation of cases of torture and ill-treatment by the Georgian authorities.
