Five pro-EU politicians have been detained after Saturday’s riots in Tbilisi
Opera singer Paata Burchuladze and four other pro-EU protest organizers have been charged with inciting a riot and attempting to overthrow the government in Georgia.
Burchuladze, who had previously performed onstage with Luciano Pavarotti, is the leader of the Rustaveli Avenue protest movement. He called on supporters to “seize power” in Tbilisi on Saturday during municipal elections, which, according to the official tally, were overwhelmingly won by the ruling right-wing Georgian Dream party.
His call was backed by several opposition politicians, including Murtaz Zodelava of the United National Movement (UNM), who told the crowd to capture “the keys” to the presidential palace.
Several hours later, activists, some carrying the flags of the US, the EU, and Ukraine, stormed the president’s residence, after which police dispersed the crowd using tear gas and water cannons. Six protesters and 21 police officers were hospitalized after the clashes, the Health Ministry said.
In the early hours of Sunday, the Interior Ministry announced the arrests of Burchuladze and Zodelava, as well as Irakli Nadiradze of UNM, Paata Manjgaladze of the smaller Strategy Aghmashenebeli party, and retired Colonel Lasha Beridze.
The opposition has accused the government of vote-rigging and democratic backsliding, and has called for more protests after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze suspended EU accession talks last year.
Kobakhidze claimed that the protests were guided by “foreign intelligence services” and blamed EU diplomats for fueling the unrest.
