On 25 March, Amiran Urushadze, a sumo commentator and civil activist, was subjected to 4 days of administrative detention on the grounds of allegedly blocking a roadway. The decision was issued by Judge Tornike Kapanadze.

According to Urushadze’s lawyer, Mikheil Zakareishvili, the only evidence presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs shows that Urushadze briefly stepped onto the roadway for a few seconds in order to listen to a police officer’s statement, after which he returned to the pavement.

According to the lawyer: “He stepped onto the roadway to listen to the police officer, not to block the road. Despite this, Judge Tornike Kapanadze imposed 4 days of detention. The reasoning for the decision is not known at this stage – the ruling has only recently been served, and its justification will become clear upon review.”

On 16 October 2025, Georgian Dream adopted legislative amendments to the Criminal Code of Georgia and the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, which significantly restrict the forms through which demonstrators may express peaceful protest. Under these amendments, Article 174¹ of the Code of Administrative Offences was supplemented with paragraph 10, providing that participants in assemblies and demonstrations shall be subject to mandatory administrative detention for certain acts. These include, inter alia, covering one’s face with a mask or other means, possessing tear gas or similar substances, intentionally creating obstacles to pedestrian or vehicular movement, installing temporary structures, or partially or fully blocking a roadway.

A violation of this provision is punishable by administrative detention for up to 15 days, or up to 20 days in the case of an organizer. The amendments also introduced changes to the Criminal Code of Georgia, providing that the repeated commission of the above-mentioned acts within a one-year period may result in criminal liability.