15-03-2026
Tbilisi
Police Remove Protest Tents Outside Parliament

On 15 March, late at night, police once again removed tents set up in front of the Parliament building. Videos disseminated by activists show that the tents were taken away by municipal sanitation service personnel using a waste collection vehicle. Protest participants report that their personal belongings were removed together with the tents.

The Head of the Tbilisi Patrol Police, Goga Memanishvili, justified the removal of the tents on the grounds of maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of demonstrators. According to his statement, a fire that had occurred in the area several days earlier posed additional risks, which prompted the decision to dismantle and remove the tents. One of the protest participants, Darejan Tskhvitariа stated that, notwithstanding the removal of the tents, she intends to remain in the vicinity of Parliament and continue the protest.

For context, on 12 March, a fire broke out in Darejan Tskhvitariа’s tent in the early morning hours. According to her account, upon returning to the site, neither the tent nor her personal belongings were present. She further stated that the fire in the tents may have been linked to attempts to remove them. Subsequently, other protest participants provided her with new tents near Parliament; however, these were also removed by the police. As a form of protest, Darejan Tskhvitariа has reportedly been spending nights in the area surrounding Parliament for nearly one year.

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15-03-2026
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Forced Change of Location, Time or Form of Protest | Restriction of Freedom of Assembly and Expression
Ministry of Interior
Suppression of Protest
Tbilisi