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".

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by daily mass protests since the Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October parliamentary elections rejected by the opposition as falsified.

Its critics accuse the government of democratic backsliding and of moving Tbilisi closer to Russia.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's announcement on November 28 that his cabinet would not pursue the opening of European Union membership talks with Brussels until 2028 further fuelled the demonstrations.

On Sunday, police detained the leader of the liberal pro-European Akhali party, Nika Melia, and former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, a prominent opposition figure, an AFP reporter saw.

The arrests -- condemned by the EU's top diplomat -- were made as thousands of demonstrators attempted to block a highway entrance to the capital, Tbilisi.

Melia told journalists that a senior police official had kicked him while in the police station.

Melia's lawyer said that the politician was "arrested on........

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