TBILISI
\nGeorgia\u2019s prime minister on Tuesday threatened to punish his political opponents, accusing them of being behind violence at mass protests, as Tbilisi\u2019s top court rejected a key lawsuit to annul the result of a contested October vote.
\nPrime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze \u2014 who infuriated protesters last week by announcing his government would shelve EU accession talks until 2028 \u2014 also suggested he would take retribution on public servants if they take part in protests.
\nThousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Monday against the ruling Georgian Dream party in a fifth straight night of protests, with more demonstrations planned on Tuesday.
\nThey accuse the government of bringing Tbilisi back into Moscow\u2019s orbit and betraying the Black Sea nation\u2019s bid for EU membership, which is enshrined in its constitution and supported by around 80 percent of the population.
\nGeorgia has been gripped by political turmoil since a contested October election, which pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili and the opposition say Georgian Dream rigged, demanding a re-run.
\nBut, intensifying the crisis, Tbilisi\u2019s top court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit filed by Zurabishvili and opposition parties to overturn the election result.
\nA re-run of the contested vote was one of the protesters\u2019 main demands.
\nZurabishvili, who backs the protests and whom Georgian Dream are trying to remove from office, did not yet respond to the court\u2019s decision to throw out her case.
\nThat announcement came shortly after Kobakhidze \u2014 who has ruled out talks with the opposition \u2014 vowed to punish his opponents.
\n\u201cOpposition politicians who have orchestrated the violence in recent days while hiding in their offices will not escape responsibility,\u201d he said at a press conference.
\nThe ruling Georgian Dream party has refused to back down despite increasing international criticism of Georgia\u2019s handling of its protests, with several Western countries saying Tbilisi had used excessive force.
\nKobakhidze, 46, also threatened to punish civil servants who join the protests, after several ambassadors and a deputy foreign minister resigned over the demonstrations crack-down and his decision to suspend EU talks.
\n\u201cThe process of self-cleansing within the public sector has been very interesting. We are closely monitoring everyone\u2019s actions, and they will not go without a response,\u201d he said.
\nEvoking language used by the Kremlin, Kobakhidze alledged the protest movement was \u201cfunded from abroad.\u201d
\nHe also singled out NGOs \u2014 heavily targeted in a repressive pre-election campaign by authorities \u2014 for being behind the protests, vowing that they will \u201cnot evade responsibility as defined by law.\u201d
\nTbilisi earlier this year adopted Russian-style legislation designed to restrict the activity of NGOs as well measures that the EU says curb LGBTQ rights.
\nThe adoption of the laws prompted the US to slap sanctions on Georgian officials.
\nBut Kobakhidze said his government hoped that the \u201cUS attitudes toward us will change after January 20\u201d \u2014 when Donald Trump, who has criticized federal support for gender transition, takes office.
\nKobakhidze\u2019s threats to the opposition came as more Western leaders criticized Tbilisi\u2019s police response to the protests.
\nNATO chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday slammed as \u201cdeeply concerning\u201d the situation in Georgia, condemning \u201cunequivocally\u201d the reports of violence.
\nThe mostly young protesters accuse Georgian Dream of acting on Russian orders and fear the ex-Soviet country will end up back under Russian influence.
\n\u201cWe want freedom and we do not want to find ourselves in Russia,\u201d 21-year-old protester Nika Maghradze, told AFP.
\nGeorgia\u2019s health ministry earlier said that 26 people \u2014 23 protesters and three law enforcement officers \u2014 were injured in the latest protest on Monday night.
\nPresident Zurabishvili has described the protests as Georgians \u201crising against the Russian puppetry regime.\u201d
\n\u201cThe message is clear: Give me my vote back! Give me my European future back!,\u201d she had said on social media on Monday.
\nSome protesters placed their hopes in the 72-year-old president.
\n\u201cShe is our only chance,\u201d 43-year-old demonstrator Mariam told AFP on Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TBILISI Georgia\u2019s prime minister on Tuesday threatened to punish his political opponents, accusing them of being behind violence at mass protests, as Tbilisi\u2019s top court rejected a key lawsuit to annul the result of a contested October vote. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze \u2014 who infuriated protesters last week by announcing his government would shelve EU […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-447238","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n