Clashes and Arrests Begin in Tbilisi

Several opposition leaders, including former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava and the founder of the "For Change" coalition Nika Melia, have been arrested following clashes with the police as thousands of opposition activists attempted to block the strategic Tbilisi-Batumi highway near the capital's entrance. This was reported by Interpressnews.

On the eve, a large-scale action demanding the release of "political prisoners," new parliamentary elections, and the resumption of Georgia's EU membership process had been planned on social networks. On Saturday, the police conducted searches in the homes of certain groups, including the "Daitove" NGO and several other administrators.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has yet to comment on the specific articles of the criminal or administrative code under which cases have been initiated against participants of the protest action, which has become the most significant since November 28, when Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced the end of negotiations regarding Georgia's EU membership.

On Friday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs warned that, according to recent changes in the criminal code, blocking strategic roads is punishable by up to four years of imprisonment.