A Briton who was arrested in Georgia last week after 200,000 people took to the streets of the capital to protest against the government says he was beaten by police who tried to frame him as a Western spy.
Daniel Travis, 28, was arrested last Saturday for allegedly breaking into the parliament building, but was eventually released yesterday.
The fierce protests were sparked by the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on the country’s accession to the European Union.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze suggested the Briton was a “foreign instructor” who had been tasked with orchestrating the violence.
Speaking to The Times after his release, Travis denied the Georgian leader’s claims and said he had not attended the protests.
He said he was walking home from a nearby bar when masked riot police beat him and dragged him into parliament in an attempt to accuse him of being a British spy.
Once inside, he said he was interviewed by official media.
“They tried to make me look like a spy or whatever they want to make me look like,” said the Briton.
British expatriate Daniel Travis said he was beaten by Georgian police who tried to frame him as a Western spy.
The fierce protests were sparked by the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on the country’s accession to the European Union. Travis says he was walking home from a bar when police attacked him
People gathered to protest in front of the Parliament building on December 9, 2024 over the results of last month’s parliamentary elections in Tbilisi, Georgia.
‘I never tried to break into parliament. With so many police there, it’s impossible for anyone to get in. It’s fucking ridiculous.
‘I have never worked in a government agency. I have always been law-abiding. “I don’t go to protests even in England, much less, you know, in a country where I don’t know the language,” he said.
Travis was sentenced to 10 days in jail on disorderly conduct charges.
Speaking of the detention center where he was held, Travis said it was “very small and dirty” and claimed he was not fed for three days.
‘I’m not mentally okay with it. “It’s really taken a toll on my health and, you know, it’s been pretty hard.”
Georgia descended into full-blown civil unrest last week as countless protesters invaded Tbilisi and clashed with police, following the government’s decision to shelve the EU membership bid.
The country’s parliament building was set on fire by angry rioters who threw fireworks and stones, while an effigy of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the shadowy founder of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, was placed on a stake and set on fire amid screams and cheers. of the crowd.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze (pictured) claimed without evidence that a “British citizen illegally broke into the parliament building.”
Protesters clash with police during a demonstration against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, in front of Georgia’s Parliament in Tbilisi, early December 1, 2024.
Protesters light a fire at the base of a makeshift barricade erected on a Tbilisi street during demonstrations against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, early December 1, 2024.
Protesters carrying Georgian and European flags clash with police during a demonstration against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks amid a post-election crisis, in Tbilisi, early on December 1, 2024.
Police use tear gas to disperse Georgian opposition supporters protesting outside the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on November 30, 2024.
Police officers escort a demonstrator during a demonstration by supporters of opposition parties, protesting against the new government’s decision to suspend European Union accession talks and reject budget subsidies until 2028, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 30 November 2024.
Protesters light a fire at the base of a makeshift barricade erected on a Tbilisi street during demonstrations against the government’s decision to delay European Union membership talks.
Protesters gather in front of the parliament building, center left, to protest the governments’ decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union for four years in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
Supporters of Georgia’s opposition parties hold a rally to protest against the government’s decision to suspend talks on accession to the European Union, in front of the parliament building.
Fireworks were also launched as riot police, and one video shows a lone protester pointing a fireworks “machine gun” at police officers.
The police were accused of brutalizing protesters. Witnesses reported seeing protesters in Tbilisi being chased and beaten by police while demonstrating outside the country’s parliament.
One video showed a woman lying weakly on the ground and being kicked in the head by a police officer, before she collapsed as a second police officer ran up and kicked her.
Observers could be heard screaming as they witnessed the violent scene. Authorities said 44 people were hospitalized by water cannons and tear gas deployed by police.