
The Daily Beat: 20 January
As Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., hundreds of protesters in Tbilisi organized the US-Georgia Friendship March from the Republic Square through Rustaveli Avenue to the Parliament building. The march displayed many flags of the two countries side by side. Rustaveli Avenue was blocked again. The protesters have the same usual demands: new elections and the release of those arrested during the protests.
Earlier in the day, protests began outside the Government Administration building and later moved to the Special Investigation Service (SIS) building. Demonstrators demanded the release of Mzia Amaghlobeli and a meeting with Koka Katsitadze, the head of SIS. They also called for the suspension of Irakli Dgebuadze, the head of the Batumi police division, in connection with the incident that led to the charges against Amaghlobeli.
Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Sharadze has found 20-year-old Pridon Bubuteishvili guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison for causing approximately USD 180 worth of damage to an iron decoration piece on the gate of the Parliament building and for throwing a stone that injured a firefighter in the shoulder. Bubuteishvili, who was 19 at the time of the incident, was arrested during a protest rally on May 9, 2024. For more updates, visit our Liveblog: Resistance.
As protests continue across Georgia in solidarity with the detained director of the Batumelebi/Netgazeti Mzia Amaghlobeli, GYLA said that the detention and criminal prosecution of Amaghlobeli “are unlawful and constitute a form of political repression.” GYLA stated that Mzia Amaglobeli’s initial detention was not a legal violation but rather arbitrary, further asserting that the charges against her were politically motivated and part of a broader pattern of repression.
While repressions against civic activists and journalists mount, Bidzina Ivanishvili’s lawyer claims that Swiss bank Julius Baer is engaging in “political blackmail” against Ivanishvili, announcing plans to file a lawsuit against the bank. According to a statement released by law firm Metric on January 20 a large portion of assets “that survived Credit Suisse’s illegal actions” were transferred to Julius Baer, including accounts designated for hedge fund deposits.
On January 20, GD Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced the creation of a new state commission to reform universities. He stated that this initiative would transform the country’s higher education system within four years. Kobakhidze appointed Levan Izoria, a former Minister of Defense and Ambassador to Germany, as his advisor on education and science. The push for reform might reflect the youth’s strong disapproval of government policies, especially evident in student protests against the Foreign Agents Law and repression.
The Data of the Day
Preliminary data from the National Statistics Office indicate that in 2024, Georgia’s foreign trade increased by 8.0% compared to 2023, totaling USD 23.43 billion in value. In 2024, exports from Georgia increased by 7.8% to USD 6.56 billion, while imports rose by 8.1% to USD 16.87 billion. For more detailed information on the top import and export partners of Georgia, read our piece.