Georgian capital under state of emergency

TBILISI, Georgia, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A state of emergency was in place in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi Wednesday as President Mikheil Saakashvili clamped down after a series of protests.

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli said all public demonstrations and events will be barred from taking place in the Georgian capital as part of the president's decree, RIA Novosti reported.

Riot police in Tbilisi dispersed thousands of protesters Wednesday using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. The protest was aimed at opposing Saakashvili's decision to move next April's scheduled elections to fall of 2008.

Wednesday marked the sixth day of protests in Tbilisi, which also has seen a recent series of arrests of opposition leaders.

RIA Novosti reported that as the state of emergency went into effect in Tbilisi, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the growing conflict.

The international group Human Rights Watch decried the heavy-handed response to the peaceful demonstrations.

“Even in a time of crisis, Georgians have a right to protest peacefully without being beaten by the police,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Firing rubber bullets at peaceful demonstrators is a complete abuse of the use of force.”