Georgian prosecutors on Monday charged five opposition figures with attempting to overthrow the government following protests over the weekend, which organizers had billed as the start of a “peaceful revolution.”
On Saturday, a splinter group of anti-government protesters split from the main demonstration and tried to storm the Orbeliani Palace, the presidential residence on Atoneli Street.
They tore down the gates into the courtyard but were repelled by riot police, who are reported to have used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas to keep them at bay. The protesters retaliated by erecting barricades and setting fires.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze pledged on Sunday to “completely neutralize” those responsible for attempting to “overthrow the constitutional order,” saying “no one will escape responsibility.”
The charges brought against the five men on Sunday carry a maximum prison sentence of nine years, according to Reuters.
Among those arrested over the weekend was opera singer and opposition activist Paata Burchuladze, who read a declaration at the outset of the rally proclaiming that “power returns to the people” and branding the government “illegitimate.”
The charges came after the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas issued a strongly worded statement on Sunday, with the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos condemning the deteriorating political climate surrounding Georgia’s municipal elections.
“Months of raids on independent media, the passing of laws targeting civil society, the jailing of opponents and activists or amendments to the electoral code favoring the ruling party, drastically reduced the possibility of having competitive elections,” the statement read.
“In addition, the refusal by the Georgian authorities to invite international monitors in due time… undermined the transparency of the electoral process and prevented credible international monitoring,” it continued.
“We urge calm and restraint in the post-election period and call on the authorities to uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression.”
The communiqué also categorically rejected claims by Georgian lawmakers and pro-Russian actors that the so-called coup had been engineered by Brussels.
Kobakhidze had earlier accused the EU’s ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, of interfering in its politics and supporting the effort to unseat the government, saying that the envoy “bears special responsibility.”
“The European Union firmly rejects and condemns the disinformation regarding the EU’s role in Georgia and denounces the personal attacks against the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia,” says the statement by Kallas and Kos.
Despite the police crackdown on Oct. 4, smaller crowds nonetheless flocked to Rustaveli Avenue on Sunday, marking the 312th night of non-stop consecutive demonstrations in Tbilisi’s central thoroughfare.
The five men will join what opposition leaders characterize as Georgian Dream’s expanding ranks of over 60 political prisoners, including journalists, politicians and activists.
Critics have alleged that the court has been captured by the state, adding that Georgia now has more political prisoners per capita than Russia.