Tako Gvilia, a resident of Zugdidi and a participant in pro-European protest actions, was found liable for an administrative offence and fined 4,000 GEL by Judge Pati Furtskhvanidze of the Zugdidi District Court in connection with a comment she published on Facebook about a police officer. The decision was rendered on 27 January.
On 14 January 2026, Tako Gvilia reported on social media that she had been served with an administrative offence report drawn up under Article 173(2) of the Code of Administrative Offences. According to the report, she had published a public post in which she allegedly verbally insulted police officer Nikoloz Thordia using obscene language, referring to him as “a pathetic Zugdidi policeman.” In his report, Officer Thordia stated that these expressions were “extremely offensive” to his dignity and professional activity.
Tako Gvilia is not the first activist against whom Nikoloz Thordia has filed a complaint. In December 2025, the Zugdidi Patrol Police officer also lodged a complaint against Mariam Sichinava, a member of the political party “Droa,” in relation to a word published on social media in the Megrelian language – “lodos” (meaning “fool”). At that time, Mariam Sichinava was fined 3,000 GEL.
The practice of initiating court proceedings against citizens on the basis of posts published on social media commenced after the “Georgian Dream” party adopted, in June 2025 and under an expedited legislative procedure, amendments to the Law of Georgia on Freedom of Speech and Expression. The amendments primarily concerned the regulation of defamation. In particular, the statutory definition of defamation was revised by removing the element of harm, which had previously constituted an essential prerequisite for qualifying a statement as defamatory. Shortly after the amendments entered into force, six journalists were subjected to administrative fines for opinions expressed on social media. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association assessed these amendments as constituting an “unjustified restriction on freedom of expression, creating a chilling effect and aimed at instilling fear within society in order to deter individuals from critically evaluating the actions of the ‘Georgian Dream’ party and its political representatives.”
