Georgian police raid homes of activists providing financing to anti-government protesters

By Lucy Papachristou

(Reuters) - Georgian prosecutors said connected Tuesday they had conducted searches astatine the apartments of 5 individuals who helped organise backing campaigns to enactment thoroughfare protesters, amid a authorities crackdown connected the rallies that person raged for months.

Georgians person taken to the streets nightly since November to dependable absorption to a authorities determination to halt accession talks to the European Union, a reversal of a longstanding nationalist extremity successful the South Caucasus state of 3.7 million.

The demonstrations person drawn a swift crackdown by police, resulting successful hundreds of arrests and beatings, rights groups say. The authorities has defended the constabulary response.

In a connection connected Tuesday, the prosecutor's bureau said the searches were portion of an ongoing transgression probe into sabotage, attempted sabotage, and the usage of funds to interruption the law order, among different charges.

Prosecutors launched a probe past period into backing campaigns organised by civilian nine groups that assisted detained protesters with ineligible assistance and wealth to screen fines. The prosecutors accused the groups of encouraging the protesters to perpetrate amerciable acts astatine thoroughfare rallies. Authorities froze those groups' slope accounts arsenic portion of the investigation.

The 5 individuals who were searched connected Tuesday are each affiliated with the civilian nine groups. Several of them wrote connected Facebook that officers had confiscated their compartment phones and laptops during the searches.

Four of the groups accused of helping the protesters did not instantly respond to a Reuters petition for comment. Reuters was not capable to interaction the 5th group, Foundation For Each Other 24/7.

Traditionally among the much pro-Western and antiauthoritarian of the Soviet Union's successor states, Georgia successful caller years has tilted much towards Russia nether the Georgian Dream (GD) party, successful powerfulness since 2012.

As portion of a broader authorities clampdown connected Georgia's pro-Western opposition, GD passed authorities this period banning overseas donor organisations from providing grants locally without authorities consent, with violators facing steep fines.

(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Gareth Jones)