EU condemns ‘intimidation, threats and physical assaults’ by authorities in Georgia – as it happened

• Protests continued in Georgia ahead of a key vote on the controversial ‘foreign agents’ bill.

• Riot police armed with water cannon and teargas have been accused of beating protesters who picketed outside Georgia’s parliament to try to stop a final vote.

• The fresh scenes of violence came as hundreds of masked officers charged down demonstrators who had been attempting to block off access to the parliament.

• A group of members of the European parliament has asked the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, “to start preparing targeted sanctions against those in Georgia who are steering the country away from its European future.”

• Speaking at a press briefing, a spokesperson for the EU’s foreign policy chief said “we strongly condemn acts of intimidation, threats and physical assaults against the protesters, against civil society activists, against politicians and against journalists and media workers.”

• The centrist Renew Europe group in the European parliament has called “on EU institutions to take steps to further condemn attempts by the ruling party to Putinise Georgia.”

• Separatist parties were in danger of losing their decade-long hold of power in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, with the pro-union Socialist party winning the most votes in Sunday’s election.

• Nevertheless, Carles Puigdemont said he intends to try to form a government composed of pro-independence parties.

• Puigdemont said in a press conference that the time has come to “rebuild bridges” within the independence movement and that a repeat election “wouldn’t be best for the Catalan people”.

• Police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam today after protesters occupied university buildings in various Dutch cities.

Many students joined Georgia’s protests.

The centrist Renew Europe group in the European parliament has called “on EU institutions to take steps to further condemn attempts by the ruling party to Putinise Georgia.”

Police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam today after protesters occupied university buildings in various Dutch cities, Reuters reported.

Amsterdam police said the university had filed a police report against the protesters for acts of vandalism.

The city police also said they will ask protesters to leave the premises voluntarily.

In a joint statement yesterday, over 100 Georgian civil society groups reiterated their opposition to the controversial ‘foreign agents’ bill.

“We, Georgian non-governmental organizations, once again declare that the draft law adopted by the authorities in the second reading is a Russian Law in its goals and content, it is directed against the Western course supported by the Georgian people, and it must be withdrawn unconditionally. No amount of amendment can reverse the devastating effects that this law will have on our society,” they said.

“The government must withdraw this law unconditionally,” the groups added.

“64 seconds is all it takes for a constitutional coup,” the opposition United National Movement said today.

Georgia has been rocked for weeks by demonstrations against a bill that would force non-governmental groups and media to register as “organisations serving the interest of a foreign power” if more than 20% of their funding comes from overseas.

Protesters say it will sabotage thecountry’s hopes of joining the EU and stifle civil society. It has been described as “the Russian law” by critics as it resembles repressive legislation used by the Kremlin.

Police have used teargas and water cannons to disperse the crowds, acting at times with “disproportionate force”, according to watchdogs.

Read the full explainer here.

A group of members of the European parliament has asked the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, “to start preparing targeted sanctions against those in Georgia who are steering the country away from its European future.”

Here are photos from Tbilisi this morning, by Alexander Bagrationi for the Guardian.

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Thijs Reuten, a member of the European parliament from the Netherlands, said today that “we have to show that we learn our lessons and support the Georgian people now.”

Here are more images from Georgia today.

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Two American citizens and one Russian were among 20 people detained at protests in Tbilisi, the interior ministry said today, Reuters reported.

13 May 202407.30 EDT

Georgia police accused of beating protesters against ‘foreign influence’ bill

Daniel Boffey

Riot police armed with water cannon and teargas have been accused of beating protesters who picketed outside Georgia’s parliament to try to stop a final vote on a controversial “foreign influence” law.

The fresh scenes of violence on Monday morning came as hundreds of masked officers charged down demonstrators who had been attempting to block off access to the parliament in the capital, Tbilisi.

Dimitri Chikovani, who was severely beaten by five men near his apartment building entrance in Tbilisi’s Sololaki district last Wednesday evening, said he had also received threatening phone calls.

Speaking to the Guardian after his release from hospital, Chikovani, who suffered fractured cheek bones and a broken nose, said he believed the government was behind the attacks.

He said: “The point is to make people fear them. But if I may add, it’s pointless and useless. Because people of Georgia, they have spoken, they have decided that the European way, the western civilisation, is the way of Georgia. Georgian Dream won’t stop it. We will protest until Georgian Dream stands back and stops the law.”

Read the full story here.

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Speaking at a press briefing, a spokesperson for the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell reiterated concern about the situation in Georgia, where pro-western protesters have continued to face a violent crackdown.

“We strongly condemn acts of intimidation, threats and physical assaults against the protesters, against civil society activists, against politicians and against journalists and media workers,” the spokesperson said, pointing to “brutal actions” overnight.

“We call on the authorities to ensure the right to protest,” he said. “We call on the authorities to investigate properly… and we expect that those responsible for it will be brought to justice.”

The European Union and the member states are watching the situation “closely,” he said.

But he also said that “we are not there yet” on sanctions.

“Georgia, after all, is a candidate country – and we again, we hope, we expect and we call on authorities to go back to the European path.”

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