Context
The incidents documented in June 2025 indicate the continued use of criminal justice mechanisms against individuals connected with protest activities, as well as various forms of pressure against government critics. During the month, several participants in the pro-European protest demonstrations were sentenced to terms of imprisonment, while in a number of cases criminal investigations and prosecutions were initiated following incidents that occurred either inside court buildings or during protest demonstrations.
Particular attention during June was drawn to the case of activist and civic education teacher Nino Datashvili, whose case originated from an incident that took place at the Tbilisi City Court. Following an altercation at the courthouse, a criminal investigation was initiated against her, and she was subsequently arrested under criminal procedure.
During the same period, poet Zviad Ratiani was arrested during a protest outside the Parliament building and was later remanded in custody by the court as a preventive measure.
In addition to cases of criminal prosecution, incidents involving the imposition of financial sanctions were also documented. Among them, Baia Pataraia, Executive Director of the women’s rights organisation Sapari, was fined over statements published on social media.
The documented cases demonstrate that the use of legal mechanisms against individuals participating in protest activities remained active throughout June and included detention, deprivation of liberty, as well as the imposition of financial sanctions.
Incidents
On 2 June 2025, Judge Lili Mskhiladze of the Tbilisi City Court sentenced 23-year-old Daniel Mumladze and 26-year-old Guram Khutashvili to three years’ imprisonment each. The two had been arrested in connection with the alleged damage to surveillance cameras on Rustaveli Avenue during protests in December 2023. Although both defendants admitted the charges and expressed their willingness to compensate for the damage, they were not offered a plea agreement.
The case of Nino Datashvili
The case of activist and civic education teacher Nino Datashvili began in June 2025 following an incident at the Tbilisi City Court, where hearings concerning individuals detained during protest demonstrations were taking place.
On 9 June, an altercation occurred in the lobby of the Tbilisi City Court between Nino Datashvili and representatives of the Court Bailiff Service. According to the bailiffs, Datashvili was verbally instructed to leave an area where, they claimed, standing was prohibited pursuant to the court’s instructions. Datashvili initially responded with verbal resistance. Video footage of the incident, later circulated by activists, showed several court bailiffs forcibly removing her from the courthouse.
On 11 June 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that a criminal investigation had been initiated against Nino Datashvili in connection with the incident at the City Court under Article 353² of the Criminal Code, which criminalises an attack against a public official in connection with the performance of official duties.
Eleven days after the incident, on 20 June 2025, law enforcement officers arrested Nino Datashvili. The court fully granted the prosecution’s motion and ordered pre-trial detention as a preventive measure, despite the defence having argued from the outset that detention posed serious risks to her health.
Shortly after Datashvili’s arrest, more than 200 teachers and university lecturers expressed solidarity with the detained teacher and issued a public statement. They stated that Nino Datashvili was being subjected to politically motivated criminal prosecution and called for pre-trial detention to be replaced with a less restrictive preventive measure.
During a court hearing held on 7 August, Nino Datashvili described how she had been treated by police officers following her arrest on 20 June. According to the teacher and activist, she was denied the opportunity to contact both her child and her lawyer for several hours after her arrest. Datashvili further stated that she was forced to strip at the police station and was denied access to a toilet for several hours. It is noteworthy that Mzia Amaghlobeli described being subjected to similar treatment. According to Datashvili, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs treated her “like an object,” in a cynical and degrading manner.
During her detention, the case attracted further public attention when, in early August, the Prosecutor’s Office requested an inpatient psychiatric examination on the basis of an entry contained in the defendant’s medical records. The court granted the motion and warned that, should she refuse, she could be forcibly transferred to a psychiatric institution for 20 days. Human rights defenders, as well as Datashvili herself, described this measure as a return to Soviet-style repressive practices and equated it with treatment amounting to torture.
From September onwards, Datashvili’s health deteriorated sharply while in detention. Due to severe spinal problems, she lost the ability to move independently, sit, and even eat. Her physical condition became so serious that she was no longer able to attend her own court hearings, a fact officially confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer of the Penitentiary Service. Despite repeated requests by her lawyers and public appeals, the court initially continued to keep her in detention.
Ultimately, as continued detention proved incompatible with her life and health, the Prosecutor’s Office itself filed a motion requesting that the preventive measure be changed. On 29 October 2025, Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili granted the motion and replaced Nino Datashvili’s pre-trial detention with bail in the amount of GEL 5,000, after which she was released from the penitentiary institution in order to receive medical treatment.
Both domestic and international human rights organisations have characterised Nino Datashvili’s case as politically motivated and have described it as part of a broader campaign of repression against civil activists.
The principal concerns and assessments expressed by human rights organisations may be grouped into several categories:
Lack of justification for detention: The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), in its Amicus Curiaesubmission, stated that the use of pre-trial detention was entirely unjustified, as there was no real risk that Datashvili would abscond, interfere with witnesses, or commit a new offence. The Public Defender of Georgia likewise concluded that the continued extension of her detention relied on abstract risks and failed to take proper account of her serious medical condition.
Soviet-style psychiatric repression: The organisation Partnership for Human Rights (PHR), together with mental health professionals, strongly condemned the request for a compulsory psychiatric examination. In their assessment, relying on a single reference extracted from Datashvili’s medical history—namely “emotional lability”—to justify such a measure represented a return to Soviet-style repressive practices and amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment.
International response: The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH) characterised Datashvili’s detention as arbitrary detention and judicial harassment intended to punish her for exercising her rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.
Violation of the right to health: International organisations further noted that the authorities’ failure to provide Datashvili with adequate medical care while in detention (FIDH), together with their disregard for her severe physical suffering, constituted a serious violation of fundamental human rights standards.
On 12 June 2025, Judge Nino Galustashvili of the Tbilisi City Court sentenced 21-year-old Mate Devidze, one of the so-called “prisoners of conscience,” to four years and six months’ imprisonment. Devidze had been charged under Article 353¹(1) of the Criminal Code, which criminalises an attack on a police officer.
On 18 June 2025, Judge Lela Tsagareishvili of the Tbilisi City Court imposed a GEL 4,000 fine on Baia Pataraia, Executive Director of the women’s rights organisation Sapari. Pataraia was found liable for insulting Mamuka Mdinaradze, Tea Tsulukiani, and Mariam Lashkhi in Facebook posts.
On 23 June 2025, poet Zviad Ratiani was arrested during a protest held outside the Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue. During the protest, Ratiani slapped a police officer in the face as an act of protest.
On 25 June, Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili of the Tbilisi City Court granted the Prosecutor’s Office’s motion and ordered pre-trial detention as a preventive measure. Ratiani has been charged under Article 353¹(1) of the Criminal Code, which concerns an attack on a police officer and carries a penalty of four to seven years’ imprisonment.
