On 16 March, according to information disseminated on social media, activist Giorgi Mumladze was found liable for an administrative offence in connection with the obstruction of a roadway and was placed in administrative detention for a period of four days.
On 16 October 2025, Georgian Dream adopted legislative amendments to the Criminal Code of Georgia and the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, which significantly restrict the forms through which demonstrators may express peaceful protest. Under these amendments, Article 174¹ of the Code of Administrative Offences was supplemented with paragraph 10, providing that participants in assemblies and demonstrations shall be subject to mandatory administrative detention for certain acts. These include, inter alia, covering one’s face with a mask or other means, possessing tear gas or similar substances, intentionally creating obstacles to pedestrian or vehicular movement, installing temporary structures, or partially or fully blocking a roadway.
A violation of this provision is punishable by administrative detention for up to 15 days, or up to 20 days in the case of an organizer. The amendments also introduced changes to the Criminal Code of Georgia, providing that the repeated commission of the above-mentioned acts within a one-year period may result in criminal liability.
On 16 March, Giorgi Gotsiridze, a lawyer of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and a human rights defender, was found liable for an administrative offence by Judge Davit Makaradze for standing on a sidewalk in the course of a protest. The court issued a verbal warning.
According to GYLA, the imposition of legal liability for engaging in peaceful protest expressed through standing on a sidewalk reflects a reality that is entirely detached from human rights law. The organization assesses that the adoption of such regulation, as well as its enforcement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is inconsistent with both national and international legal standards and constitutes an instrument of law-making and law enforcement grounded in repression and control.
Administrative proceedings against citizens in relation to sidewalk protests commenced following legislative amendments adopted by Georgian Dream 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, 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.”
Shorena Shavlakadze, the mother of a person with disabilities and an active participant in protest demonstrations advocating for her and her child’s rights, was charged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the artificial obstruction of a roadway on Rustaveli Avenue. On 16 March, the Tbilisi City Court found Shorena Shavlaqadze, a mother of a person with disabilities and a rights defender, liable for an administrative offence and issued her a verbal warning. The decision was rendered by Judge Nino Enukidze of the Tbilisi City Court.
On 16 October 2025, Georgian Dream adopted legislative amendments to the Criminal Code of Georgia and the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, which significantly restrict the forms through which demonstrators may express peaceful protest. Under these amendments, Article 174¹ of the Code of Administrative Offences was supplemented with paragraph 10, providing that participants in assemblies and demonstrations shall be subject to mandatory administrative detention for certain acts. These include, inter alia, covering one’s face with a mask or other means, possessing tear gas or similar substances, intentionally creating obstacles to pedestrian or vehicular movement, installing temporary structures, or partially or fully blocking a roadway. A violation of this provision is punishable by administrative detention for up to 15 days, or up to 20 days in the case of an organizer. The amendments also introduced changes to the Criminal Code of Georgia, providing that the repeated commission of the above-mentioned acts within a one-year period may result in criminal liability.
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.
According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), legislative amendments adopted since 2024, coupled with an increasingly repressive environment, have significantly narrowed the operational space of civil society and have impacted the organization’s operations.
GYLA reports that, due to the prevailing circumstances, it has been compelled to temporarily restrict several key areas of its work, including programs providing free legal assistance to citizens. As a result, thousands of individuals will no longer be able to access the support previously delivered by the organization through free in-person, telephone, and online consultations, preparation of legal documents, and court representation.
The organization further states that, in light of the deteriorating human rights situation, it is transitioning to a crisis-response operational mode. At this stage, legal assistance will be maintained solely within the framework of strategic litigation, while GYLA will continue to monitor and document human rights violations.
For the second day, law enforcement officers have been subjecting individuals to searches and identity checks in the vicinity of the Parliament of Georgia. According to the authorities, these measures are being carried out for the purposes of ensuring security and pursuant to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations. According to law enforcement officials, individuals who refuse to undergo a superficial search will be denied access to the area surrounding the Parliament and the protest site.
According to citizens, the checks are being conducted without the preparation of a written record and are carried out on an oral basis. One individual reportedly requested that a formal record be drawn up; however, law enforcement officers indicated that, in such circumstances, the individual would not be permitted to enter the protest area.
On 13 March, information was disseminated regarding a report prepared by a representative of the Public Defender of Georgia, according to which convicted individual Denis Kulanin is being held in conditions that may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment at Penitentiary Establishment No. 8. The report, dated 7 March, notes the presence of cockroaches in the cell, severely deteriorated sanitary facilities, and pillows described as “extremely dirty.”
According to the report, on 8 February Kulanin was transferred from his cell to solitary confinement without being provided with any explanation. He stated that for a certain period he was held without a bed and without access to basic hygienic conditions, including a shower and dental care items. It is further indicated that for a period of time he was not allowed to contact his lawyer or a representative of the Public Defender’s Office.
The report also states that since 3 March Kulanin has been held in a so-called quarantine cell, where, according to his account, sanitary conditions remain poor and he does not have access to his personal belongings or documents.
According to information disseminated on 10 March, activists Zurab Menteshashvili and Denis Kulanin were placed in solitary confinement, where, according to their statements, they were held in conditions that may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment. In a statement issued on 11 March, the Penitentiary Service responded to allegations related to Kulanin’s hunger strike, stating that the convicted individual has been consuming food both provided by the institution and purchased within the facility. The authority did not address the conditions described by the Ombudsperson’s representative.
On 12 March, following the protest, a verbal confrontation occurred between a private individual and protest participants in the underground passage near the First Public School in Tbilisi. According to information disseminated on social media, an unidentified individual, reportedly in an intoxicated state, according to eyewitness accounts – directed aggressive verbal remarks toward a female protest participant holding the Georgian flag.
As reported by Levan Jobava on social media, after attracting the attention of those present, the individual moved toward a police cordon. According to the same source, law enforcement officers did not apprehend the individual at the scene, and he subsequently left the area in the company of police officers without further incident.
On 12 March, a notable deployment of law enforcement personnel was observed on Rustaveli Avenue, in the area surrounding the Parliament building, where officers were conducting checks of individuals participating in a public assembly. According to information disseminated on social media by photographer Giorgi Mosiashvili, law enforcement officials were reportedly subjecting all individuals carrying bags to searches.Participants in the assembly indicated that such measures were carried out in the absence of clearly articulated legal grounds or prior explanation, raising concerns regarding compliance with applicable standards. It was further reported that officers were inspecting bags with the apparent purpose of identifying and preventing the entry of tents into the area surrounding the Parliament, thereby potentially restricting the ability of demonstrators to sustain their presence at the site.
On 12 March, activist Darejan Tskhvitariia, who had been spending nights in a tent near the Parliament of Georgia as part of an ongoing protest, stated that her tent caught fire during the night. According to her account, at approximately 3:00 a.m. she heard an unidentified individual shouting that something was burning, and upon going outside, she observed that her tent was on fire. Tskhvitariia expressed the view that the fire may have been set in order to remove the tents. She further stated that, following the incident, her personal belongings were taken from the tent.
According to Tskhvitariia, law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and officers from the Old Tbilisi district police were called. She stated that police officers requested that she leave the area, forcibly took her mobile phone, and removed her from the site using physical force. Notwithstanding the above, she indicated her intention to continue the protest.According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, an investigation has been initiated under Article 188(2) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which concerns damage to or destruction of property through negligent handling of fire or another source of increased danger.
