EU considers sanctions against Georgia over crackdown on protesters

The European Union is considering "measures" against Georgia over its "brutal" crackdown on pro-European protests.
"The continued retreat from democracy and the recent repressive measures used by the Georgian authorities have consequences for our bilateral relations. The EU will consider further measures at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 16 December," the bloc's spokeswoman Anita Hipper said.
"Brussels condemns these acts of repression against demonstrators, media representatives and opposition leaders and calls for the immediate release of all detainees. All allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be the subject of a credible investigation," said Hipper.
Several thousand pro-EU Georgians gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on 9 December for the 12th consecutive night of protests against a government they accuse of abandoning the country's European ambitions and of pro-Russian authoritarianism.
Georgia has been in political crisis since parliamentary elections on 26 October, won by the ruling Georgian Dream party but condemned as rigged by the pro-Western opposition, AFP reported.
The government's 28 November decision to postpone "the question of European Union membership" until 2028 sparked a wave of protests in Tbilisi and other cities.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 400 protesters have been arrested since 28 November, most for "disobedience" or "vandalism" but "more than 30" for crimes such as inciting violence. | BGNES