By Ailis Halligan in Tbilisi A pro-EU protest intended to block a key traffic artery in the Georgian capital on February 2 was met with heavy police repression and violent arrests, a day after the Georgian authorities classified the highway as “strategic infrastructure” and criminalised obstructing it.

The police detained over 20 participants in a demonstration in Tbilisi on Sunday, as reported by the Echo of the Caucasus portal. Among those detained is one of the opposition leaders. Thousands of demonstrators,

The leader of Georgia ’s largest opposition party was arrested on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators again took to the streets demanding new parliamentary elections. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

In Georgia, police arrested several anti-government protesters, including prominent opposition leaders, as thousands demanded new parliamentary elections. Demonstrators temporarily blocked a motorway near Tbilisi.

Georgian police arrested two opposition leaders during a street protest against the ruling party on Sunday, a moved quickly denounced by the European Union, which condemned Tbilisi's "brutal crackdown".