Repressive Laws Aimed at Protesters Signed After Georgian Presidential Inauguration Ceremony

November 28, 2024 - A Georgian protester confronts authorities about their fealty to a political party over the will of the Georgian people.

12/30/2024

By: Daniel Miller

Protesters in Tbilisi gathered in front of Orbeliani Palace Sunday morning as Mikheil Kavelashvili was inaugurated in front of other Georgian Dream (GD) party members. GD’s legitimacy after the October 26th parliamentary elections has not been recognized by almost all of the international community. For the first time since Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union, no foreign ambassadors were present for the inauguration ceremony, with GD party members claiming a lack of space in the room. Police reportedly detained six protesters for coming too close to them. 

Kavelashvili wasted no time in signing executive orders aimed at severely limiting freedom of expression and placing extreme measures on what is considered acceptable at protests. A full list can be found here, but freedom of expression is effectively banned, with signs that “damage the city’s appearance” carrying penalties of up to 1,000 GEL ($356); face coverings are banned; police are allowed to preventively detain people for up to 48 hours; police are allowed to arbitrarily determine if there is an insufficient amount of protesters to justify blocking the roads and fine people up to 5,000 GEL ($1,781 USD).