TBILISI — Protesters who rallied against the Georgian government’s plan to approve a controversial “foreign agent” law say they were beaten by security forces who launched a violent crackdown with water cannons, volleys of tear gas, and, according to some eyewitnesses, rubber bullets.
Tensions remained high as tens of thousands of people returned to the streets late on May 3 as the standoff continued between the government and demonstrators who have been staging mass protests in the center of the South Caucasus country’s capital.
Tbilisi’s main Rustaveli Avenue once again appeared blocked late on May 3 and early into the morning, with some protesters holding candles and EU and Georgian flags in the Kashveti Church.
Thousands of protesters moved to an area near the Paragraph Hotel, where a meeting of the Asian Development Bank is being held. The hotel is owned by an investment fund controlled by former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the influential …