Georgia police arrested several anti-government protesters on Sunday, including two prominent opposition leaders, following demonstrations demanding new parliamentary elections.

Nika Melia, former chairman of one of the main opposition parties, and Gigi Ugulava, former mayor of capital Tbilisi, were arrested as thousands of protesters attempted to block a highway entrance into the capital.

Ia post on X, Kaja Kallas, the Vice President of the European Commission and the EU foreign policy chief, condemned the arrests as “brutal” and “unacceptable,” emphasizing that “Georgia falls short of any expectation from a candidate country.”

The public rights defender of Georgia (Ombudsman), Levan Ioseliani, said that there have been instances of excessive use of force and mistreatment of protesters and journalists by the police.

Last week, Amnesty International confirmed allegations of such violence following the extension of pre-trial detention for a protester who was denied defence counsel for hours while being questioned. The medical examinations of Saba Skhvitaridze, accused of attacking police officers during the protests, stated that he had injuries consistent with his claimed torture by the police.

Georgia has faced ongoing anti-government demonstrations since November following the controversial parliamentary elections and the decision of newly-elected Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, to suspend membership negotiations with the EU until 2028.

Reacting to the decision, the pro-EU President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili constantly rejected the idea of stepping down or accepting a president elected by the ruling party, which she called an illegitimate government stemming from illegitimate elections. Tensions culminated at the end of December 2024 with the inauguration of Mikheil Kavelashvili as President.