Standing in a crowd of demonstrators outside Georgia's parliament, rights activist Davit Chkheidze is convinced his year-long anti-government protest is still going strong, even as the ruling party intensifies a crackdown on dissent and tightens its hold on power.

Mass rallies have gripped the Black Sea nation since a disputed parliamentary election last October plunged Tbilisi into turmoil and prompted the European Union to effectively freeze its accession bid.

The governing Georgian Dream party responded forcefully, police dispersed rallies with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon, adopted repressive laws targeting independent media and nongovernmental organizations, and arrested opposition leaders and protesters.