Salome Zurabishvili Fined for “Blocking Road”
Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, says she has been fined GEL 5,000 (approximately USD 1,800) for allegedly blocking the road when she was participating in a rally of mothers of detained protesters on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue on March 3, which is Mother’s Day in Georgia.
“I have been baptized as an activist today. But I stood where all mothers should have been – alongside the mothers of prisoners of conscience,” Zurabishvili wrote in a June 12 Facebook post, sharing a photo of the fine receipt.
Hundreds of protesters, including journalists, have been fined during Georgia’s ongoing protests for “blocking the road” under Article 174 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. President Zurabishvili’s fine was issued under the same provision. Watchdog groups have long argued that the article is used to intimidate protesters and suppress dissent, prompting many demonstrators on Rustaveli Avenue to wear face masks to avoid identification.
Anti-regime protests in Georgia continue approaching their 200th consecutive day since the Georgian Dream government made a major foreign policy shift, abandoning the country’s efforts to join the EU. Protesters are demanding a rerun of the parliamentary elections and the release of those arrested during the rallies.
Also Read:
- 19/03/2025 – GYLA: Fines Imposed on Protesters – Severe Violation of Freedom of Assembly
- 14/03/2025 – Watchdog Says GD Uses Administrative Offenses Code to Suppress Protest, Calls for Reform
This post is also available in: ქართული