On 26 July, police detained activist Tornike Toshkhua near the Tbilisi City Assembly building. The reason for the detention was the protest banner displayed by him, which read: “Is Bidzina a d***? Yes – No.” Footage of Toshkhua’s detention shows several police officers approaching him as he stands near the City Assembly, after which they place him in a police vehicle and take him away.
Following Toshkhua’s detention, citizens soon gathered near the City Assembly building in solidarity with him and displayed banners with the same wording. Police then began detaining them as well. According to reports, nine additional citizens were detained, including Ia Melitauri, Lasha Dgebuadze, Mariam Mekantsishvili, Vaso Beridze, Sandro Sekhniashvili, Marine Nanava, Shako Baghdoshvili, Tornike Tikaridze, and Nato Bolkvadze. A video circulated on social media shows senior police official Davit Mamageishvili slapping Ilia State University student Sandro Sekhniashvili in the face during the detention.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs later issued an official statement. According to the Ministry, a total of ten persons were detained in the vicinity of the Tbilisi City Assembly. The Ministry stated that they were holding “insulting banners in a public space,” making insulting statements, disturbing public order, and resisting law enforcement officers. They were detained under Articles 166 and 173 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which concern petty hooliganism and disobedience to a lawful order of a law enforcement officer.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association issued a statement and called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to immediately release the detained persons. According to the organization, Tornike Toshkhua and the citizens who came to support him were detained while exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and political expression. GYLA stated that the circulated footage does not show any violence or disturbance of public order by the demonstrators that would justify their detention or the use of force by police. According to the organization, a senior police official slapping a demonstrator in the face reaches the threshold of inhuman or degrading treatment and may bear signs of the offence envisaged under Article 161 of the Criminal Code.
Tornike Toshkhua had previously been detained on 16 August 2025, together with Mindia Shervashidze. They were accused of group violence against Georgian Dream supporter Beka Gotsiridze. The court sentenced both of them to one year of imprisonment. Toshkhua spent approximately one year in detention.
