By RIA Novosti
Tbilisi (Georgia) : The Georgian government has issued a decree declaring a state of emergency banning all public demonstrations in the country’s capital Tbilisi citing fast deteriorating law and order situation in the wake of opposition protests.
Wednesday’s emergency proclamation came after a week of intense opposition demonstrations reached its culmination in Tbilisi demanding President Mikheil Saakashvili’s resignation accusing him of corruption, authoritarianism and failure to stem the economic downslide.
Riot police used water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters.
Wednesday’s protests, during which up to 100,000 demonstrators came out on the streets of Tbilisi, were Georgia’s worst unrest since the 2003 “Rose revolution” that brought Saakashvili to power.
Georgian police detained two opposition leaders, and the chief of the news service at the Imedi television company, Rustavi-2 channel reported Wednesday. However, the police have denied having arrested the journalist.
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement criticised the decision calling it a ‘politically irresponsible provocation’ and warned of Russia’s ‘appropriate response’. He added that Russia remained committed to the settlement of the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts and the protection of Russian nationals in Georgia.
Referring to the Georgian president’s accusations that Russia’s special services were behind recent events in Tbilisi, the ministry said such accusations could bring an unpredictable reaction.
The European Union and NATO said that they were closely watching the situation in Georgia and urged the country’s authorities and opposition to refrain from confrontation.