Activist Sent to Ten-Day Detention Amid Claims Arrest Linked to GD Flag Burning
Tbilisi City Court sent activist Ucha Kemashvili to ten days of administrative detention for disobeying police orders, but the activist and his supporters believe the arrest is linked to Kemashvili burning the ruling party’s flag outside the parliament building.
Kemashvili was initially detained on May 26 in the outskirts of Tbilisi while heading to his sister’s home from an Independence Day rally downtown at the parliament, where he demonstratively burned the flag of the Georgian Dream party. The activist’s sister, who attributed her brother’s arrest to the flag burning, said around 25 people approached Kemashvili near her apartment building before he was taken into custody. She said police followed him while he took public transport.
Kemashvili was released on May 28 as the initial court hearing was postponed. Following his initial release, the activist told TV Pirveli that police brought up the flag burning during the detention, but since it’s not considered an offence under local laws, he was charged with police disobedience (Article 173 of the Administrative Offenses Code). Kemashvili referred to the Georgian Dream flag as a “flag of a terrorist organization.”
Kemashvili actively participates in anti-government protests and is often seen distributing alucha (a green plum native to Georgia) to demonstrators.
Kemashvili was sent to detention because “he has been handing out alucha during rallies, because he burned some fabric,” Lasha Tkemaladze, Kemashvili’s lawyer, told journalists after the court hearing. Since the activist couldn’t be detained for that, the lawyer added, “they trumped up some case against him as if he resisted dozens of police officers near his home.”
Also Read:
- Liveblog: Resistance | Court Sentences Activist to 10 Days in Administrative Detention
- 06/06/2025 – Georgian Dream to Sue Critics Over “Insults” on Social Media
- 31/05/2025 – Court Sends Students to 12-Day Detention for Allegedly Insulting MP
- 02/06/2025 – Court Jails Two for Three Years for Camera Damage During Protests
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