Protest in Georgia: opposition leaders beaten in Tbilisi
Levan Khabeishvili, the leader of Georgia's largest opposition United National Movement party, and Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Union of Citizens of Georgia, were beaten by security forces during a protest against the "foreign agents" law in Tbilisi.
As reported by Ekho Kavkaza, the Formula TV channel published a photo of Khabeishvili with signs of beating on his face. He sustained injuries to the maxillofacial area.
SOVA, a Georgian outlet in Russia, reported that before this, the party called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure the physical safety of the opposition figure and immediately release him.
"A few minutes ago, by the personal order of Bidzina Ivanishvili [honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream ruling party – ed.], representatives of the Russian regime in Georgia kidnapped Levan Khabeishvili, the leader of Georgia's largest opposition United National Movement party and a member of Parliament. At the time of the arrest, he was assisting a citizen injured at the rally," the United National Movement statement said.
Meanwhile, the opposition figure published a video message from the hospital, stating that he "doesn't feel any pain".
"Everything will be alright with my eye, body and so on, but the fight against Putin supporters must continue," Khabeishvili said.
Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Union of Citizens of Georgia, was also hurt due to the actions of law enforcement officers, who threw him to the ground after he approached the police.
"They also grabbed me, but when I saw Levan's photo... It doesn't matter which party I represent, you can't treat a deputy like that, you can't treat them like a dog," he noted.
Prior to this, law enforcement officers attempted to attack Giorgi Vashadze, the leader of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party.
On the night of 30 April-1 May, Georgian special forces attempted to forcibly disperse participants of a peaceful protest against the "foreign agents" law in Tbilisi but later retreated. Prior to that, Georgian law enforcement officers deployed tear gas against at least 10 demonstrators.
Clashes between activists and police occurred on Shio Chitadze Street, where Ministry of Internal Affairs employees, using force, cleared the area near the side entrance to the parliament, where politicians and activists were holding a sit-in protest.
On 29 April, the Georgian Parliament's Legal Committee approved the proposal in its second reading. Its discussion in the Georgian Parliament's plenary session could span many days.
The EU warned Georgia on Monday that adopting the law on "foreign agents" would have ramifications for the country's integration into the European Union.