Citizens Report Parking Fines Despite Having no Car
Reports have surfaced on April 23 of citizens being fined GEL 5,000 (about USD 1,800) for allegedly parking improperly, though some say they don’t even own cars. The fine is the same as for blocking roads during protests.
Shortly thereafter, the Ministry of the Interior attributed the matter to a “technical problem” and said the relevant department is working to resolve it. It said the fines were issued “automatically” based on the “principle of video fines.”
“I was fined GEL 5000 for improper parking on March 8,” Ketuna Kerashvili, the sister of Irakli Kerashvili, who was arrested during the recent protests, wrote on social media today, adding, “I don’t have a car.”
“That’s how it is – with just one message, the Georgian Dream reclassified me from a human being to a vehicle,” said Iva Pezuashvili, who shared a phone screenshot of the Interior Ministry’s message. The fine was issued under Part 5 of Article 174 Prima of Georgia’s Code of Administrative Offenses, which covers violations of rules on assemblies and manifestations.
“My vehicle, which I never had, violated the rule on assemblies and manifestations,” says Dato Simonia. He said the police call center advised him to ignore the parking reference, clarifying that the fine was actually for blocking Rustaveli Avenue.
The messages do not include the car number plates, but they do include the fine receipt number.
Legal expert Nika Simonishvili suggests that the Interior Ministry has been overwhelmed with delivering formal notices for roadblock fines for protesters, and is now using parking violations as a formal pretext to easily deliver SMS messages about fines. He says the Ministry’s new tactic of issuing fines without even attempting to deliver them by mail violates the law.
Since the start of the ongoing protests, now in their fifth month, hundreds of demonstrators – and several journalists – have been fined for allegedly blocking roads. Watchdogs believe the ruling party is using the hefty fines, which exceed twice the average monthly income in Georgia, to crush dissent and discourage resistance.
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