Police in Georgia's capital break up a tent camp set up by protesters demanding a new election

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Police in Georgia's capital early on Tuesday moved in to break up a tent camp that demonstrators set up on a central thoroughfare to protest the results of last month's parliamentary election and demand a new vote.

The Oct. 26 election kept the governing Georgian Dream party in power, but opponents say the vote was rigged. Many Georgians viewed the election as a referendum on the country’s effort to join the European Union. Several large protests have been held since then.

Protesters had set up the tent camp in Tbilisi, the capital, and had vowed to stay around the clock to demand new parliamentary elections. As police moved to disperse it, there were scuffles and several protesters were detained, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. Some of the demonstrators were displaying European Union flags.

“We, the citizens, are gathered here to protest against rigged elections. We have the right to freedom of assembly, the right to gather, and the right to protest the terrible processes that took place on Oct. 26 and beyond," protester Gigi Chikhladze told the AP after the camp was dispersed.

"The legal ways to challenge the election results have been almost entirely exhausted, without an outcome. We are here to protest, and as you can see, we are being denied that right.”

Elene Khoshtaria, leader of Coalition for Change, which unites several opposition parties, vowed to continue the protests, telling the AP: “There was absolutely no reason for dispersal, but it will not stop our resistance. It’s their mistake, their weakness, and they will pay the price for it. We will continue to resist as long as it takes.”

President Salome Zourabichvili, who has rejected the official results, on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court, arguing that two fundamental principles guaranteed by the Constitution — the secrecy of the vote and its universality — were violated. Zourabichvili, who holds a mostly ceremonial position, has said Georgia has fallen victim to pressure from Moscow against joining the EU.

Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.

On Sunday, demonstrators closed an avenue leading into the center of Tbilisi. Nika Melia, leader of Coalition for Change, one of the opposition groups, voiced hope that the protests around the clock will mark “the beginning of the intense, strong protest movement that will finish with the fall of Ivanishvili’s regime.”

The EU suspended Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely in June after the country’s parliament passed a law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government.

The Central Election Commission said Georgian Dream won about 54% of the vote in October. Its leaders have rejected opposition claims of vote fraud. European election observers said the election took place in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.

Demonstrators and paramedics carry a wounded after the clashes between police and protesters to an ambulance on a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police try to detain a protester on a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police officers help a man get up as they push protesters away after destroying a tent camp on a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police block a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Women argue with police officers during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Protesters standing behind a barricade shout in a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police gather to push protesters away from a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police block a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police detain a protester in a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police push protesters away after destroying a tent camp on a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Demonstrators and paramedics carry a wounded person to an ambulance after clashes with police during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

CORRECTS DAY AND DATE: Police try to detain a protester in a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Police remove protesters’ tent camp on a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

CORRECTS DAY AND DATE: Police try to detain a protester in a street during a rally against the results of the parliamentary elections amid allegations that the vote was rigged in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

HONG KONG (AP) — Forty-five ex-lawmakers and activists were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison Tuesday in Hong Kong’s biggest national security case under a Beijing-imposed law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement.

They were prosecuted under the 2020 national security law for their roles in an unofficial primary election. Prosecutors said their aim was to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and force the city’s leader to resign by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block government budgets indiscriminately.

The unofficial primary held in July 2020 drew 610,000 voters, and its winners had been expected to advance to the official election. Authorities postponed the official legislative election, however, citing public health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Legal scholar Benny Tai, whom the judges called the mastermind, received the longest sentence of 10 years. The judges said the sentences had been reduced for defendants who said they were unaware the plan was unlawful.

However, the court said the penalties were not reduced for Tai and former lawmaker Alvin Yeung because they are lawyers who were “absolutely adamant in pushing for the implementation of the Scheme.”

In the judgment posted online, the judges wrote that Tai essentially “advocated for a revolution” by publishing a series of articles over a period of months that traced his thinking, even though in a letter seeking a shorter sentence Tai said the steps were “never intended to be used as blueprint for any political action.”

Two of the 47 original defendants were acquitted earlier this year. The rest either pleaded guilty or were found guilty of conspiracy to commit subversion. The judges said in their verdict that the activists’ plans to effect change through the unofficial primary would have undermined the government’s authority and created a constitutional crisis.

The judges rejected the reasoning from some defendants that the scheme would never have materialized, stating that “all the participants had put in every endeavor to make it a success."

The judges highlighted that a great deal of time, resources and money were devoted to the organization of the primary election.

“When the Primary Election took place on the 10 and 11 July, no one had remotely mentioned the fact that Primary Election was no more than an academic exercise and that the Scheme was absolutely unattainable,” the judgment read. “In order to succeed, the organizers and participants might have hurdles to overcome, that however was expected in every subversion case where efforts were made to overthrow or paralyze a government.”

Some of the defendants waved at their relatives in the courtroom after they were sentenced.

Gwyneth Ho, a journalist-turned-activist who was jailed for seven years, said “our true crime for Beijing is that we were not content with playing along in manipulated elections” on her Facebook page.

“We dared to confront the regime with the question: Will democracy ever be possible within such a structure? The answer was a complete crackdown on all fronts of society," she wrote.

Chan Po-ying, wife of defendant Leung Kwok-hung, told reporters she wasn’t shocked when she learned her husband received a jail term of six years and nine months. She said they were trying to use some of the rights granted by the city’s mini-constitution to pressure those who are in power to address the will of the people.

“This is an unjust imprisonment. They shouldn’t be kept in jail for one day,” said Chan, also the chair of the League of Social Democrats, one of the city’s remaining pro-democracy parties.

Emilia Wong, the girlfriend of Ventus Lau, said his jail term was within her expectations. She said the sentencing was a “middle phase” of history and she could not see the end point at this moment, but she pledged to support Lau as best as she could.

Philip Bowring, the husband of Claudia Mo, was relieved that the sentences were finally handed down.

Observers said the trial illustrated how authorities suppressed dissent following huge anti-government protests in 2019, alongside media crackdowns and reduced public choice in elections. The drastic changes reflect how Beijing’s promise to retain the former British colony’s civil liberties for 50 years when it returned to China in 1997 is increasingly threadbare, they said.

Beijing and Hong Kong governments insisted the national security law was necessary for the city's stability.

The sentencing drew criticism from foreign governments and human rights organizations.

The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong said the U.S. strongly condemned the sentences for the 45 pro-democracy advocates and former lawmakers.

“The defendants were aggressively prosecuted and jailed for peacefully participating in normal political activity protected under Hong Kong’s Basic Law,” the statement said, referring to the city's mini-constitution.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters no one should be allowed to use democracy as a pretext to engage in unlawful activities and escape justice.

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang said in a news briefing that the sentences showed those committing national security crimes must be severely punished.

The subversion case involved pro-democracy activists across the spectrum. They include Tai, former student leader Joshua Wong and former lawmakers. Wong was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail. Young activist Owen Chow was given the second-longest jail term, seven years and nine months.

Most of them have already been detained for more than three and a half years before the sentencing. The separations pained them and their families.

More than 200 people stood in line in rain and winds Tuesday morning for a seat in the court, including one of the acquitted defendants, Lee Yue-shun. Lee said he hoped members of the public would show they care about the court case.

“The public's interpretation and understanding has a far-reaching impact on our society's future development,” he said.

Wei Siu-lik, a friend of convicted activist Clarisse Yeung, said she arrived at 4 a.m. even though her leg was injured. “I wanted to let them know there are still many coming here for them,” she said.

Thirty-one of the activists entered guilty pleas and had better chances of getting reduced sentences. The law authorizes a range of sentences depending on the seriousness of the offense and the defendant’s role in it, from under three years for the least serious to 10 years to life for people convicted of “grave” offenses.

People leave the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, following the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Lee Yue-shun, former pro-democracy district councilor who was cleared of the charge of the national security case, leaves the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, following the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Chan Po-ying, wife of Leung Kwok-hung, one of the defendants in the national security case, leaves the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, after the sentencing. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Representatives from various consulates wait in line outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Representatives from various consulates wait in line outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People wait outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People wait outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People wait outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Police officers stand guard outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People wait outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Armed police officers stand guard outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Police officers stand guard outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

FILE - Former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, known as "Long Hair," second left, shows a victory sign as some of the 47 pro-democracy activists are escorted by Correctional Services officers to a prison van in Hong Kong, March 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE- Hong Kong activists and supporters march with a banner which reads " Unite now in solidarity with the Hong Kong 47 and other political prisoners" during a protest commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 2014 umbrella movement and the fifth anniversary of the anti-extradition law amendment bill movement in Taipei, Taiwan, June 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

FILE- A pro-democracy activist known as "Grandma Wong" protests outside the West Kowloon courts in a cordoned off area set up by police as closing arguments open in Hong Kong's largest national security trial of 47 pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, Nov. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

FILE - A supporter holds a placard with the photos of some of the 47 pro-democracy defendants outside a court in Hong Kong, on July 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

A Correctional Services Department vehicle arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A Correctional Services Department vehicle arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People wait outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People wait outside the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts in Hong Kong Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, ahead of the sentencing in national security case. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)