Protesters in Tbilisi demanded the right to public assembly.
The Tbilisi City Court postponed hearings on "sidewalk blocking" cases near the Georgian Parliament. On the 394th day of daily protests, as on other days, supporters of European integration gathered on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding freedom of peaceful assembly.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on the 393rd day of daily protests, as on other days, supporters of European integration gathered on Rustaveli Avenue. For the first time, the Tbilisi City Court heard cases of "sidewalk blocking" near the Georgian Parliament. Hearings for five activists were postponed until January.
On the 394th day of continuous protests, supporters of European integration once again gathered near the Georgian Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, despite prosecution for "sidewalk blocking." "Everyone has the right to public and unarmed assembly without prior permission," - with this poster, participants in daily protests near parliament continue to demand the release of political prisoners and the holding of new, fair elections, Tabula reported today.
Citizens standing on the sidewalk continue to be summoned to court. Police are accusing people of blocking the road, despite there being no evidence that the road was blocked, meaning that movement was impossible, according to Pirveli TV.
The article under which actor Giorgi Chachanidze and lawyer Mikheil Zakareishvili are being tried carries prison sentences. New regulations stipulate 15 days in prison for standing on the sidewalk for the first offense and one year in prison for a repeat offense.
Students from various universities also appeared in the dock today. The only evidence against them is a video recording of them standing on the sidewalk, which the Ministry of Internal Affairs obtained on social media. In the case of the students, a department representative claimed they blocked a pedestrian walkway on Rustaveli Avenue, although the young people themselves claim the opposite.
Court hearings were postponed one after another due to a lack of evidence, raising reasonable suspicions that all these trials pursue a single goal: to intimidate people from taking to the streets on the 31st, the television station emphasized.
On December 10, parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations and the Code of Administrative Offenses, prepared by the Georgian Dream party, banning spontaneous protests near government buildings. The restrictions on spontaneous protests proposed by the ruling party are contradictory to the Constitution of Georgia and equate public gatherings without police approval to a misdemeanor, human rights activists pointed out. On December 11, the law was officially published and entered into force after midnight. The bill requires approval from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for assemblies "in places where people move," specifically near government buildings and courthouses. Police will also be able to demand that applicants relocate the demonstration, change its time, or change its method. The amendments will effectively ban protests on Rustaveli Avenue near the parliament building, where protests are held daily. For the second year, Georgia has seen daily protests demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of all those detained for participating in demonstrations. Demonstrators have blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue for 343 consecutive days. Since November 6, security forces have prevented activists from blocking traffic, setting up cordons along the roadway. Protesters have been detained for attempting to enter the road. However, on the anniversary of the protests and on several other days since, protesters have marched along the roadway. Specifically, on December 6, daily protesters demanded an international investigation into the use of "kamit" to disperse demonstrators in November-December 2024. They announced weekly marches until their demand is met.
Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces have violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over the course of the protests, more than 1,000 people have been subjected to administrative prosecution. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia".
Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/419437
![Tumso Abdurakhmanov. Screenshot from video posted by Abu-Saddam Shishani [LIVE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIR3s7AB0Uw](/system/uploads/article_image/image/0001/18460/main_image_Tumso.jpg "Tumso Abdurakhmanov. Screenshot from video posted by Abu-Saddam Shishani [LIVE] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIR3s7AB0Uw")