Police officers were present during a demonstration organized by supporters of Georgia's opposition parties to protest the government's decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia, on December 7, 2024. — Reuters
When Georgian protester Irakli Pipia began praying in a weak voice, the policeman beating him came closer to understand what he was saying. "When he realized I was praying, he became angrier and started beating me aggressively while shouting, 'Is it helping? Is your prayer helping you now?'" Pipia recounted to AFP. Days later, the bearded anthropologist still has bruised eyes, finds it painful to laugh, and cannot yet eat solid foods. Pipia, 39, is among many protesters who claim they have been beaten during the massive pro-EU demonstrations in the Caucasus country, amid a political crisis that shows no signs of easing.
Tens of thousands have been rallying for over a week in Tbilisi, angered by the government's decision to halt EU accession talks and accusing it of steering Georgia towards the Kremlin. Police have arrested more than 400 people, with most reporting physical abuse, according to the Social Justice Centre NGO, which provides legal counseling to those affected. The country's rights ombudsman has accused authorities of "torture," and the violence has sparked outrage at home and international condemnation. Tbilisi's interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has previously stated that police intervention was necessary when protesters turned violent.
But Pipia said he was grabbed by masked officers as he stood defiantly but peacefully before advancing riot police last Tuesday. He was dragged behind the police line, severely beaten, and then shoved into a police van. There, masked officers took turns punching and kicking him, he added. Pipia is not alone. Journalist Aleksandre Keshelashvili had his nose broken in several places by police and underwent surgery while covering the protests. The crackdown has heavily targeted media workers. "They were just hitting me, hitting me," the 32-year-old told AFP in his home, where Orthodox icons hung on the wall. He is still experiencing memory issues after suffering several small skull fractures.
On the crowded first night of protests last week, security officers grabbed him and threw him into a melee of riot police, taking away his cameras. "I fell on the ground several times and they were also kicking me with their boots," he said. Then, he said he was "unconscious for a while," before waking up to police officers "grabbing me and pushing me to the police van." The beatings left visible marks on his head, which he believed were intentional to serve as a warning to others. Police violence has only galvanized protesters. Photos of their swollen and bandaged faces have featured prominently at protests, with banners of the victims hung on a Christmas tree outside parliament. Videos of violent arrests have been widely shared on social media, showing police beating protesters who cower on the floor and officers chasing after people in side streets away from the main protest.
An opposition leader was beaten and carried away by the arms and legs, apparently unconscious, by masked security forces after a raid. On Saturday, dozens of unknown assailants severely beat journalists from an independent broadcaster and stormed the office of an opposition alliance. Security camera footage shows masked men hitting an opposition figure with a baton, shoving him down a flight of stairs, and battering him with kicks and punches as he lies on the floor. Opposition leaders have said the attackers were thugs working in cahoots with police — which stood by without intervening. The Georgian Dream government's security forces have faced persistent accusations of deploying plainclothes security agents to target and attack political opponents. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has praised police and accused the opposition of staging the attacks on the media. Guram Imnadze, a lawyer with the Social Justice Centre, said the "systematic" brutality is aimed at intimidating protesters. But despite the beatings, protesters appear undeterred to leave the streets. Pipia said he plans to join the rallies again when he's fit enough, even if the situation turns "brutal." "I cannot go one more step back because (this) is my homeland."
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