Protest reactions: how to deal with street politics in Georgia
The Georgian authorities have decided to tighten the law on rallies again. According to the proposed amendments, the organizers will have to coordinate the events with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the security forces will be able to change the venue of the actions at their discretion. This is the sixth tightening of the law in the last year and a half. Izvestia investigated the situation.
The protest test
In mid-December, the Georgian parliament approved amendments to the law on rallies in the first reading. According to the proposed innovations, the organizers will have to send a notification to the Interior Ministry five days before the action. If the ministry decides that the event will cause inconvenience to pedestrians or interfere with traffic, it may require changing the route of the march or moving the rally to another area of the city.
If the police consider that the action violates any norms during its conduct, the participants will have 15 minutes to eliminate violations, then the protest may be declared illegal. For disobeying the demands of the security forces, ordinary dissenters will face administrative arrest for a period of 15 days, the organizers — up to 20 days. In case of repeated violations, the protesters will go to prison for up to a year.
Irakli Kirtskhalia, a deputy from the ruling party, explains that the innovations are designed to ensure a balance between the protesters and all other citizens. "We see how a specially paid group of 300 people is trying to create maximum discomfort for those people who lead a normal lifestyle and live their daily lives. We cannot allow this to happen," he said.
In turn, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili emphasizes that the bill fully complies with the Constitution of Georgia and the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights. "If the assembly interferes with the movement of people, the police will have the opportunity to show the protesters another route. Citizens who travel by car should not feel unnecessary discomfort, especially when there are few protesters," he explained.
The opposition says that the authorities continue to attack civil rights and are increasingly shifting towards authoritarianism. For example, former President Salome Zurabishvili said that the ruling party needs a new law to ban protest actions near the parliament building, which take place every evening throughout the year.
The struggle of opposites
The confrontation between the government and the opposition in Georgia escalated in the fall of 2024. At that time, parliamentary elections were held in the country, the results of which were disputed by opponents of the ruling party. Then Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of the country's European integration process until 2028, which caused a new surge of discontent and street clashes.
Against this background, Georgia has begun to reformat legislation quite actively. So, in the spring, the country approved a new version of the law on foreign agents. Previously, violators faced only a fine, but now a five-year prison sentence looms on the horizon. At the same time, Georgian Dream emphasized that the regulatory act is a complete copy of the FARA law in force in the United States.
At the same time, the country's parliament adopted a new version of the media law. According to the document, broadcasters are prohibited from receiving foreign funding, and monitoring of impartiality and objectivity is no longer an internal matter for TV companies and radio stations, but is handled by a special communications commission.
Finally, legislation on rallies was also tightened during that period. For disobedience, police officers began to face a fine of up to 5 thousand lari and arrest for up to 60 days, previously a fine of up to 3 thousand lari and arrest for 15 days was required. According to the article on minor hooliganism, which often appears in the cases of street activists, fines have doubled, and the term of administrative arrest has increased from 15 to 20 days.
In October 2025, a new round of struggle took place. At that time, local elections were held in the country, and during the election campaign the opposition repeatedly called for the "peaceful overthrow" of the government. On the evening of the election day, opponents of the ruling party held a large rally in Tbilisi. The participants first blocked the central Rustaveli Avenue, and then tried to attack the presidential palace, which ended in clashes with security forces.
This was followed by new legislative changes. Firstly, the law on rallies was once again tightened, in particular, participants of the protests were banned from appearing at rallies wearing masks and gas masks. It is forbidden to block streets, previously entering the roadway was punishable only by a fine, now it can lead to up to 15 days of administrative arrest. Several dozen people were actually sent to the detention center after that.
In addition, the authorities started talking about banning the main opposition parties, among them the United National Movement, which was founded by former President Mikhail Saakashvili. In early November, 88 members of Parliament appealed to the Constitutional Court with a corresponding initiative. Speaker Shalva Papuashvili then explained that all these associations were engaged in unconstitutional activities and were engaged in sabotage of state authorities.
What the experts say
Archil Sikharulidze, founder of the SIKHA Foundation Research Institute, emphasizes that a period of acute political struggle continues in Georgia.
— I am against stricter rules for holding rallies, but I understand why the ruling party acts this way. Everything depends on the incessant efforts of European officials and European funds, which tirelessly finance the destructive opposition so that it continues to sway the domestic political situation. It is clear that the ruling party cannot but react to this. The more pressure Brussels puts on it, the stronger the reaction of the Georgian ruling party will be," he emphasizes.
Shota Apkhaidze, a political scientist and expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, says that legislation in all countries of the world regulates street actions.
— There is a paradoxical situation in Georgia. A small group of several hundred oppositionists are obstructing a much larger number of people. Every evening throughout the year, they block the central Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, creating a chaotic situation in the city. It's time to do something about it. We are not talking about a complete ban on rallies, but everything should be within an adequate framework," the expert points out.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
