Georgia: Police disperse protesters in Tbilisi November 26 /update 6

Event

Riot police used water cannons to disperse protesters in Tbilisi in the early hours (local time) on Tuesday, November 26. They have also arrested at least two people. Protesters had remained gathered outside Parliament after the United Georgian Democratic Movement opposition party organized a march to the building on Monday, November 25. Demonstrators reportedly are still planning to gather outside Parliament on Tuesday morning to block lawmakers' access to the building during a scheduled parliamentary session. 

A heightened security presence and associated transportation disruptions are likely near all protest sites, and clashes between security forces and protesters cannot be ruled out. Further demonstrations are possible in the coming days.

Context

Several thousand people participated in opposition protests in Tbilisi on November 13 and 14, to demand fair parliamentary elections in 2020. Lawmakers failed to pass a constitutional amendment that would have instituted a proportional voting system for the 2020 elections. Activists have called for protests to continue indefinitely and opposition lawmakers will reportedly demand that parliamentary elections be moved up and held under the proportional voting system.

Advice

Individuals in Tbilisi and other major cities are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.