Escalating crackdown fuels unrest in Georgia

Protests persist amid fears of a threatened democracy and nation aligned toward Russia.

- By SopHIKO MEGRELIDZE AND DasuHa LITVINOVA

DEMONSTRATORS hold Georgian and Ukrainian flags at an opposition rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday.

(ZURAB TSERTSVADZE Associated Press)

Almost every day for nearly a year, Gota Chanturia has joined rallies at Georgia's parliament against the government and its increasingly repressive policies. He’s done this despite mass arrests and police violence against demonstrators.

And the civics teacher keeps marching even though he’s racked up $102,000 in fines for actions related to his protesting. That's about 10 times what the average Georgian earns in a year.

“We've said that we will be here until the end, and we're still here,” Chanturia told the Associated Press as he participated in yet another demonstration last week in the capital of Tbilisi.

The protests began when the government halted talks about joining the European Union. That move came after the longtime ruling party Georgian Dream won an election that the opposition alleged was rigged.

The rallies, big and small, continue despite a multi-pronged crackdown by the government through laws that target demonstrators, rights groups, nongovernmental organizations and independent media.

More protests were held over the weekend to coincide with local elections. On Saturday, police used water cannons and pepper spray to push back protesters who tried to storm the presidential palace.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Sunday accused the opposition of trying to topple his government and vowed a further crackdown on dissent, hours after his Georgian Dream party claimed a landslide win in the elections nationwide. The vote was boycotted by the two main opposition blocs as a sham.