The country’s opposition parties are repeating strategic mistakes that have allowed the ruling Georgian Dream party to entrench its rule, according to Nino Lomjaria, executive director of the non-governmental group Georgia’s European Orbit and former public defender (ombudswoman). Outlining her criticism in a social media post on Saturday, Lomjaria said opposition groups have failed to … Read more
TBILISI, October 30 – Police in Tbilisi detained several protesters Thursday night after demonstrators blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue during ongoing anti-government rallies demanding new elections. The protest began around 8pm, when demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building where a protest camp has been standing for months. After rallying on the sidewalk, some … Read more
TBILISI, October 28 – The head of Tbilisi’s Police Department, Lasha Jokhadze, has stepped down from his post, Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed on Tuesday. A spokesperson told local media outlet Interpressnews that Jokhadze’s resignation was made “on his own initiative,” without providing further details. Jokhadze had led the capital’s patrol police since 2020. The last … Read more
TBILISI, October 26 – Thousands of demonstrators poured into central Tbilisi on Sunday night, marching from Republic Square to parliament and shutting down traffic on Rustaveli Avenue as Georgia’s rolling anti-government protest continues. Organizers repeated the same two demands that have defined the movement for months: call new parliamentary elections and free people detained during … Read more
TBILISI, October 26 – Georgian police have detained 60 protesters over the past three days for violating rules on public assembly, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Sunday, as tensions continued around ongoing demonstrations outside parliament in central Tbilisi. According to the ministry, those arrested face administrative penalties under Georgia’s Code of Administrative Offenses … Read more
TBILISI, October 24 – For the 311th straight day, protesters gathered outside Georgia’s parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding new elections and the release of people detained during previous demonstrations. What began as a small rally on the sidewalk Friday escalated after part of the crowd moved onto the main roadway, blocking traffic along one of … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Police detained around 20 protesters on Wednesday evening during renewed clashes outside Georgia’s parliament in Tbilisi. The solidarity rally for jailed journalists was held amid steady stream of detentions in recent days, and turned tense when demonstrators again blocked Rustaveli Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare. According to the Ministry of Internal … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Georgian police detained twelve demonstrators in the capital during the past 24 hours for violating public assembly laws, as protests continue outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue despite mounting restrictions. According to a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, protesters “continued to engage in unlawful actions” by blocking traffic … Read more
TBILISI, October 22 – Journalists in the Georgian coastal city of Batumi held a rally on Wednesday to protest the recent arrests of several reporters, calling the detentions an attack on media freedom. Carrying banners that read “Who will expose corruption and nepotism if there is no media?”, demonstrators gathered outside the Constitutional Court and … Read more
TBILISI, October 19 – A Tbilisi court on Sunday sentenced journalist and TV anchor Vakho Sanaia to six days in administrative detention after finding him guilty of violating Georgia’s law on public assemblies. Judge Manuchar Tsatsua ruled that Sanaia, a prominent presenter on opposition-leaning broadcaster Formula TV, was guilty of blocking traffic during a protest … Read more