On 23 January 2026, judges of the Tbilisi City Court found seven citizens liable for administrative offences in connection with standing on a sidewalk. Of these, five individuals (men) were sentenced to administrative detention, while two individuals (women) were issued verbal warnings, as follows:

• Sandro Megrelishvili – four days of administrative detention (Judge Davit Makaradze);
• Dimitri Jamburia – four days of administrative detention (Judge Davit Makaradze);
• Luka Nagliashvili – five days of administrative detention (Judge Davit Makaradze);
• Mikheil Zakareishvili – five days of administrative detention (Judge Zviad Tsekvava);
• Nukri Kakulia – four days of administrative detention (Judge Manuchar Tsatsua);
• Ani Akhmeteli – verbal warning (Judge Zviad Tsekvava);
• Natia Chavchanidze – verbal warning (Judge Manuchar Tsatsua).

The Ministry of Internal Affairs alleged that, by standing on the sidewalk, the individuals obstructed the movement of other citizens. This marked the first instance in which courts imposed administrative detention in proceedings related to the so-called “sidewalk cases.”

Another repressive legislative amendment restricting the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly was adopted by the “Georgian Dream” party on 12 December 2025. The amendments were adopted following accelerated parliamentary consideration over a three-day period. As a result of these amendments, protest activity on sidewalks was effectively prohibited. Under the amended legal framework, a first violation is punishable by administrative detention for a term of up to 15 days (up to 20 days in the case of an organizer), while a repeated violation may give rise to criminal liability.

The first activist to be subjected to court proceedings following the adoption of the stricter legislation was Ani Akhmeteli, who was served with notice on 23 December. The first judicial decision in sidewalk-related cases was delivered on 22 January, when Judge Tornike Kapanadze found civil activist Rezi Dumbadze liable for an administrative offence and issued a verbal warning. In the assessment of Transparency International Georgia, “the detention of an individual for standing on a sidewalk, even under administrative procedure, let alone the imposition of criminal punishment cannot withstand legal scrutiny when assessed against the standards of freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia and by international human rights instruments.”