The Georgian government is pushing ahead with draft legislation to increase penalties for protest-related offences, in some cases to several years in prison, as the country grapples with a protracted political crisis as Georgians have protested since November, when the ruling Georgian Dream party announced it was suspending European Union accession talks until 2028, abruptly halting a long-standing national goal, reports Reuters.
Rights groups say police have cracked down on the demonstrations swiftly, arresting and beating hundreds of people. The government has defended the police action, saying shadowy forces were trying to organise unrest and overthrow the authorities.
The proposed amendments would increase prison sentences for minor administrative offences from 15 to 60 days, and increase fines and jail terms for minor hooliganism, assaulting police and other offences.
Resistance, threats and violence against police officers can lead to prison sentences of five to ten years.
Announcing the plans on Monday, Mamuka Mdinaradze, a senior Georgian Dream lawmaker, said the government was reacting to “attempts by external forces… to destroy and weaken the state and its institutions”.
He did not explicitly state what the “external forces” were, but suggested that the protesters were encouraged by the US embassy.
“If anyone thinks that what is happening in the streets is happening independently of the US embassy, they know nothing about what is happening in the streets,” Mdinaradze was quoted as saying by the news agency Interpress.
The protests had calmed down in recent weeks, but resumed on Sunday with force when thousands briefly blocked the main highway leading out of the capital.
Eight protesters, including former Tbilisi mayor Giorgi Ugulava, face up to four years in prison for attempting to block the highway, according to charges brought by Georgian authorities on Tuesday and quoted by local media.
Georgians have demanded new elections after the October elections, which opposition parties claim were rigged in favour of the Georgian dream. The party claims that the vote was free and fair.