Georgian prosecutors have charged five opposition figures with attempting to overthrow the government following violent protests in the capital, Tbilisi, on Saturday.
The charges, announced on Monday, carry a maximum prison sentence of nine years. Officials described the protests as an attempt to seize power and said more arrests could follow.
Opposition supporters had gathered in central Tbilisi, where some leaders called for a “peaceful revolution” on the day of local elections boycotted by major opposition blocs. Minutes before polls closed, a smaller group of demonstrators reportedly tried to storm the presidential palace but were repelled by riot police using gas and water cannon.
Georgia, a nation of 3.7 million in the South Caucasus, has been rocked by more than a year of protests. Opposition supporters accuse the governing Georgian Dream party of authoritarianism and of steering the country back towards Russia—allegations the party rejects.
Despite dwindling numbers, nightly demonstrations still close Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare. The unrest follows Georgian Dream’s victory in the October 2024 parliamentary elections, which the opposition claims were fraudulent. Authorities insist the vote was free and fair.
Relations between Georgia and Western allies have deteriorated under Georgian Dream’s rule. In November, the party announced it was freezing European Union accession talks, halting a long-standing national goal.
Georgian Dream maintains it is not pro-Russian and insists it seeks eventual EU membership while preserving peace with Moscow and defending what it calls Georgia’s traditional Orthodox Christian values.
The party is widely seen as being influenced by billionaire former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has been sanctioned by the US for allegedly promoting Russian interests.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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