Protests in Georgia spread beyond capital as country is rocked by days of violent demonstrations

Protesters returned to the steps of Georgia's parliament in Tbilisi on Monday for a fifth night of demonstrations after the government, who were denounced by its critics for allegedly rigging its victory results, decided to halt progress towards European Union (EU) membership.

Protesters, who held posters denouncing Russia and carried EU and Georgian flags, threw rocks at the police, to which officers responded with water cannons.

On Monday, Georgia’s Interior Ministry said 224 protesters were detained on administrative charges and three arrested on criminal charges. 113 police officers needed medical treatment while three others were hospitalized after clashes with protesters, who hurled fireworks at police.

Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili, who has been vocal about her support of the protests, said many of the arrested protesters had injuries to their heads and faces, including broken bones and eye sockets. She added that some people were subject to systematic beatings between arrest and transportation to detention facilities.

On social media platform X, the pro-EU head of state said "this is an attack on freedom of expression and the right to protest - basic rights violated, not to mention the way people are arrested and treated once detained."

The protests have gradually been spreading beyond the capital, with crowds taking to streets of regional towns and cities, such as Batumi, Kutaisi, and Rustavi. Schools and universities across the country also held strikes and walkouts.

On Sunday, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia announced they would impose national sanctions against those "who participate in the suppression of legitimate protests in Georgia."

At a press conference with the three Baltic states, Canadian Foreign