Lawyer of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), Giorgi Gotsiridze, has been required to appear before the court in connection with a protest held on a sidewalk. The court hearing is scheduled for 16 March. It has been reported that the case will be examined by Judge Davit Makaradze of the Tbilisi City Court.

“Giorgi is an experienced constitutional lawyer who has worked for many years on issues related, inter alia, to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Georgia. Today, he himself has become a target of unconstitutional regulation. Holding a person liable merely for standing on a sidewalk constitutes an unjustified restriction of the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Constitution,” – wrote the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association.Administrative proceedings against citizens in relation to sidewalk protests commenced following legislative amendments adopted by Georgian Dream on 12 December 2025.  As a result of these amendments, protest activity on sidewalks was, in effect, also prohibited. For a first violation, the legislation provides for administrative detention for a period of up to 15 days (up to 20 days in the case of an organizer), while a repeated violation may result in the imposition of criminal liability. According to 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 any criticism when assessed against the standards of freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia and by international human rights instruments.” In the so-called “sidewalk cases,” court proceedings have already concluded in relation to more than 20 activists. Some of them were subjected to administrative detention, while others (predominantly women) received verbal warnings. Administrative proceedings have also been initiated against a number of other activists, while court hearings in their cases have not yet been scheduled.