Protester Sandro Megrelishvili has been sent to four days in detention after Tbilisi City Court Judge Davit Makaridze found him guilty of “obstructing the movement of people” by protesting on a sidewalk in front of Parliament on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue.
Megrelishvili is the first protester to receive administrative detention in the so-called “sidewalk” protest cases. He was accused of obstructing pedestrian movement during a December 17 rally near Parliament. He was handcuffed in the courtroom upon the judge’s order. Yesterday, January 22, another protester, Rezi Dumbadze, received a verbal warning.
Dozens of protesters have been charged with “obstructing the movement of people” during nightly rallies on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue, where demonstrators have gathered since November 28, 2024. The offense, introduced under the December legislative changes, amid Georgian Dream’s efforts to curb anti-government demonstrations, carries a maximum punishment of 15 days’ detention.
Until now, most such cases had been rescheduled or reclassified as criminal matters, which some saw as judges’ reluctance to impose detention for what critics say is no more than standing on a sidewalk during a protest.
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