The Daily Beat: 12 March
Former President Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced to nine years in prison in the so-called Jackets case, which centers on the misappropriation of state funds. The court found Saakashvili guilty of misusing about 9 million GEL (roughly USD 3.2 million) from the state budget during 2009–2012. Saakashvili was arrested after his return from Ukraine in 2021, and his current sentence extends his incarceration to 2030.
British scholar and Kartvelologist Donald Rayfield has declined a Gratitude Award from the Writers’ House of Georgia, citing his dissatisfaction with the country’s political climate and the actions of the ruling Georgian Dream party. “I am profoundly unhappy with what is happening in Georgia that I cannot accept any gift that is associated at all with the ruling party,” Rayfield said on March 11 at an event in London organized by Georgia’s Ministry of Culture, the Georgian Embassy in the U.K., and the Writers’ House of Georgia.
A local election watchdog, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), asserts that the dismissal of 43 civil servants from the National Agency of Public Registry was “unjustified,” “discriminatory,” and did not address any real needs. ISFED represents the interests of dismissed civil servants in court and has filed a lawsuit in the city courts to protect the rights of 43 people dismissed from the National Agency of Public Registry.
The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) raised “serious privacy and legal concerns” about the Interior Ministry‘s use of facial recognition cameras against protesters in court cases related to roadblocks. GYLA highlighted unlawful personal data collection and processing and urged the Personal Data Protection Service to ensure compliance with national and international data protection standards.
The Accreditation Council has granted Ilia State University a six-year unconditional accreditation, resolving a months-long dispute over its status. The decision, announced by the University on March 12, comes after the university’s appeal, filed in late December 2024, was accepted by the Tbilisi Appeals Committee. The university and its administration have been outspoken critics of the GD government, with the University refusing to sign a statement condemning students’ academic boycott during protests against the Foreign Agents Law.
The Social Justice Center (SJC), a Georgian human rights watchdog, issued a scathing assessment of draft laws on broadcasting and the removal of “gender” from legislation initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, raising alarm about threats to freedom of expression, media independence, and equality rights. The SJC’s analysis emphasized that the proposed legislative changes, with their “vague provisions,” could be weaponized by the GD government to suppress crucial media and dissenting voices.
On March 12, the Monetary Policy Committee of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) decided to keep the key refinancing rate unchanged at 8%, noting that annual inflation remains below the 3% target. The NBG also reported stronger-than-expected economic activity, with preliminary data showing a growth rate of 11.1% in January 2025. The bank highlighted strong aggregate demand, high economic potential, and the role of business loans in driving growth.