(MENAFN) Opera singer Paata Burchuladze and four other pro-EU protest leaders have been charged with inciting a riot and attempting to overthrow the government in Georgia, according to reports.

Burchuladze, who has performed alongside Luciano Pavarotti, leads the Rustaveli Avenue protest movement. During Saturday’s municipal elections, he urged supporters to “seize power” in Tbilisi. Official results showed a decisive victory for the ruling right-wing Georgian Dream party.

His call for action was echoed by opposition figures, including Murtaz Zodelava of the United National Movement (UNM), who encouraged demonstrators to capture “the keys” to the presidential palace.

Hours later, a crowd carrying Georgian, US, EU, and Ukrainian flags stormed the presidential residence. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. The Health Ministry reported that six demonstrators and 21 officers were hospitalized following the clashes.

Early on Sunday, the Interior Ministry announced the arrests of Burchuladze and Zodelava, along with Irakli Nadiradze of UNM, Paata Manjgaladze of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party, and retired Colonel Lasha Beridze.

The opposition has accused the government of election fraud and democratic backsliding. Protests surged last year after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze suspended EU accession talks. Kobakhidze claimed that the demonstrations were orchestrated by “foreign intelligence services” and criticized EU diplomats for stoking unrest.

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