Protesters in Georgia claim government is being controlled by Moscow

Hundreds of opposition supporters gathered exterior the Georgian parliament in Tbilisi on Sunday amid rising criticism of the federal government for its alleged pro-Russian, authoritarian behaviour.

The protest was known as the principle opposition group, the United Nationwide Motion, based by imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili.

The demonstrators waved Georgian, Ukrainian and European Union flags.

They're demanding the "launch of political prisoners and the implementation of reforms" sought by the EU to grant Tbilisi candidate standing.

The federal government of the ruling Georgian Dream celebration has been accused of imprisoning opponents, silencing impartial media, and collaborating secretly with the Kremlin.

A Euronews report in March explored how shadowy political teams have been attempting to create a misunderstanding that Georgian society was extra divided on key points, similar to EU membership than it was in actuality. 

Specialists advised the Kremlin was behind them.  

"The federal government is managed from Moscow and our obligation is to save lots of our homeland from Russian stooges," mentioned former president Guiorgui Margvelashvili: "We're freedom-loving, we're a part of the European household, we reject Russian slavery.

"Our battle will likely be peaceable however uncompromising and can lead us to the place we belong, the European Union,"  mentioned 27-year-old painter Luka Kavsadze.

Below stress from mass protests, the federal government final month dropped a invoice impressed by the Russian mannequin to categorise as "international brokers" NGOs and media that obtain greater than 20% of their funding from overseas.

And the US introduced on Wednesday that it had banned 4 Georgian judges, accusing them of abusing their positions to serve the pursuits of an oligarch.

Together with Ukraine and Moldova, Georgia utilized for EU membership a couple of days after the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory started in late February 2022. In June, the EU granted official candidate standing to Kyiv and Chisinau however requested Tbilisi to implement reforms first.