The Daily Beat: 11 March
Two lecturers from Tbilisi State University’s Faculty of Law – Associate Professor Giorgi Tsertsvadze and Professor Irine Kherkheulidze – have been dismissed. The lecturers were reportedly active supporters of anti-regime protests. A day earlier, the Shota Rustaveli Theater and Film University revoked the student status of some protesters, and they were fined GEL 5,000 (about $1,800) for protesting inside the university building.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has announced plans for legislative changes aimed at tightening the country’s drug policy. Mamuka Mdinaradze, the GD parliamentary majority leader, spoke about the proposed amendments during a briefing on March 10. He stated, “Nothing can be more anti-national and anti-Georgian than a liberal drug policy and its severe consequences.” However, there are concerns that the stricter drug policies may be used as a tool against anti-regime protesters.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has proposed amendments to the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure for temporary investigative commissions. This initiative, supported by GD MPs and People’s Power, aligns with GD’s efforts to investigate alleged crimes committed by the former United National Movement (UNM) government. The proposed changes would allow the Commission to request an investigation at any point during its work.
On March 11, Georgian civil society representatives held a briefing about eight individuals arrested during anti-regime protests last December. The accused face charges of group violence, which CSO representatives claim is “politically motivated.” Three of the accused could receive six to nine-year prison sentences for allegedly organizing the violence, while five others may face four to six years for their participation.
U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the MEGOBARI Act last week, according to a report from the committee on March 10. This bipartisan bill aims to support the Georgian people, reaffirm U.S. backing for Georgia’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, and impose sanctions on officials from the Georgian Dream party. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to discuss the legislation today.
Commenting on the introduction of the MEGOBARI Act, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze labeled U.S. Senators Risch and Shaheen as representatives and servants of a ‘deep state.’ “These two individuals certainly represent the ‘deep state’ that the newly elected president of the United States is fighting against,” Kaladze told reporters.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka said Belarus very much appreciates and supports “Georgia’s steps to defend its statehood and sovereignty,” adding that “this is in line with our approaches.” The remarks came during a ceremony on March 11, at which Lukashenko received the credentials of ambassadors, including Georgia’s ambassador to Belarus, Giorgi Saganelidze.
Three Georgian citizens were illegally detained by Russian occupying forces near the village of Plavismani in the Gori municipality, which is in an occupied territory. According to a report from the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) on March 11, one of the detainees has been released and is now in territory controlled by Tbilisi, while the other two remain in illegal detention.