Georgia has been rocked by protests after its increasingly autocratic government said it would halt the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which claimed victory in last month’s election that observers said was fraudulent,

Protesters gathered across Georgia on Saturday night in a third straight night of demonstrations against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union.

For the second night running, police deployed tear gas and made heavy use of water cannon against the demonstrators. Earlier, more than 100 diplomats and civil servants in Georgia signed an open letter saying the government's decision does not align with Georgia's strategic interests.

Georgia on Saturday said authorities arrested 107 people during a second day of protests sparked by the government's decision to delay European Union membership talks.

Thousands of people took to the streets after the government said it had suspended talks on joining the European Union.

The State Department also condemned the “excessive use of force by police" after thousands of Georgians protested the halting of EU accession negotiations.

"Georgian Dream’s various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership ... As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism."

The US Department of State has announced the suspension of the strategic partnership agreement with Georgia. This decision is in response to the mass protests in Tbilisi that erupted after the ruling party,

The US has slammed 'excessive use of force' by police on people protesting the government's decision to suspend accession talks with the European Union.