Georgia opposition leader arrested in police raid amid mass protests against pro-Russia government

Demonstrators participate in a rally to protest against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union in Tbilisi (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Georgian police on Wednesday raided the offices of an opposition party and arrested its leader in an apparent attempt to halt a wave of mass protests triggered by the governing party’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union.

During the past six nights, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital’s central boulevard.