TBILISI, Georgia, Dec 3, (AP): Police in Georgia's capital again moved to disperse thousands of demonstrators on Monday after over 200 people were detained during four previous nights of protests against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. Police used water cannons and tear gas to drive protesters away from the parliament building where they have gathered each night since Thursday when the ruling Georgian Dream party declared its decision to put EU accession talks on hold.

Georgian Dream's disputed victory in the country’s Oct 26 parliamentary election, widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s aspirations to join the EU, has sparked mass demonstrations and the opposition boycott of the parliament. The opposition and the country's pro-Western president have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with Moscow's help.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said Monday that 224 protesters were detained on administrative charges and three arrested on criminal charges. So far, 113 police officers needed medical treatment while three others were hospitalized after clashes with protesters, who hurled fireworks at police. Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili said many of the arrested protesters had injuries to their heads and faces, including broken bones and eye sockets.

Writing on X and citing lawyers who represent the detained, she said some people were subject to systematic beatings between arrest and transportation to detention facilities. Zourabichvili, who plays a largely ceremonial role, has rejected official election results and refused to recognize the parliament's legitimacy. She has declared that she would stay on the job even after her six-year term ends later this month to spearhead the demands for a new parliamentary election.