The opposition Coalition for Change said its leader, Nika Gwaramia, had been arrested by police.
Police in Georgia have raided the offices of several opposition parties as they try to stem a wave of protests against the ruling Georgia Dream party’s decision to suspend EU accession talks.
Thousands of people have made noise In the capital, Tbilisi, for six consecutive nights, police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. Some protesters threw firecrackers at police and built barricades in the city center.
On Wednesday, the opposition Coalition for Change said police had arrested its leader Nika Gwaramia. The party posted a video on X of Guaramiya being carried by the arms and legs down some stairs by several men.
Police also raided the offices of the youth wing of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, Levan Khabishvili, one of the party’s leaders, told journalists.
In a statement, UNM accused the Georgian government of launching “full-scale terror and repression against dissidents.”
Police arrested two members of another opposition party, Strong Georgia, Interpress news agency reported.
Police beat and arrested the leader of the liberal opposition Akhali Party and raided Droa party offices, footage aired on local TV showed.
The attacks came after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze promised to crack down on “radical” political forces he accused of orchestrating the protests.
“It is clear to all that these violent actions are completely orchestrated by the radical opposition. … No one escapes accountability, including politicians hiding in their offices,” he said.
Protesters regroup
Further protests were held on Wednesday evening.
Al Jazeera’s Dmitry Medvedenko, speaking from Tbilisi, says police were stationed at the parliament building to prevent protesters from getting any closer. He said that there is an agitation going on near Parliament.
“This is the seventh night of protests in Tbilisi. The people we have been talking to are saying that the arrest of the opposition leader (Gvaramia) will not stop them from coming here later in the night.
Earlier, pro-EU president Salome Zurabishvili accused Georgian Dream of “closing shops selling protective gas masks, protective goggles and helmets, depriving peaceful protesters of their primary protection”.
Early on Wednesday, police used tear gas and water cannon to clear protesters from Tbilisi’s main avenue outside the parliament building, then chased and arrested fleeing people across the city.
The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs said “11 protesters, three journalists and one police officer” were taken to hospitals with injuries.
“On-site medical assistance was provided to dozens of individuals, including media representatives and law enforcement officials,” it added.
More than 300 protesters have been arrested and more than 100 injured and treated since protests broke out on Thursday.
Protesters accuse the government of betraying Georgia’s bid for EU membership, which is enshrined in its constitution and supported by about 80 percent of the population, according to polls.
Georgia’s public ombudsman, a former opposition politician, accused police on Tuesday of harshly abusing people detained during demonstrations, which he said amounted to torture.
