Georgia moves to tighten protest rules amid renewed restrictions
Georgia’s government is preparing fresh restrictions on public demonstrations, proposing amendments that would require protest organisers to notify state bodies in advance before holding pickets.
The draft changes to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations and the Administrative Offences Code were introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.
Under the proposal, organisers would be obliged to inform authorities if a gathering is planned “in a place of public movement”. In practice, this would effectively prohibit pickets outside the Ministry of Health, courts and other state institutions during working hours.
State bodies would also gain the authority to demand that a protest be moved to another location or time, or that its format be altered, if officials determine that it could disrupt institutional functioning or pose a “threat to public safety and order”. It remains unclear what penalties would apply for violating the new rules.
Parliament is expected to consider the initiative under an accelerated procedure. With Georgian Dream holding a majority in the legislature, experts say the bill’s adoption is virtually guaranteed.
This is the latest in a series of measures tightening restrictions on protests over the past year. In late 2024, during mass demonstrations in Tbilisi triggered by the freezing of EU accession talks, authorities banned protesters from using lasers, covering their faces with masks, deploying pyrotechnics or blocking roads during small-scale rallies.
Initial fines of 5,000 lari proved ineffective. Since October 2025, offenders have faced detention of up to 60 days for violations at protests, while repeat offences can lead to criminal charges carrying sentences of up to two years, including for minors.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has described these measures as a serious breach of Georgia’s international commitments and has called for their immediate repeal.
Similar news
