Police Round Up Activists for Drug Tests Amid Crackdown
Several activists, including members of the opposition Lelo party, were rounded up by police for drug testing in Tbilisi on the evening of July 8, amid the Georgian Dream government’s escalating drug crackdown.
Among those taken for testing was activist Beka Papashvili, whom police escorted from the entrance of his girlfriend’s residential block, telling him they had information he was on drugs. He was released about three hours later after reportedly testing negative, his girlfriend said on Facebook.
Around the same time, opposition Lelo party member Irakli Kupradze wrote on Facebook that police approached three party members – Otto Parulava, Levan Jorbenadze, and Beka Beridzishvili – and asked them to take drug tests. Kupradze described the incidents, which took place separately across different parts of Tbilisi, as police “ambushing” them.
The next morning, Otto Parulava wrote that they refused the police request. In such cases, individuals have four hours to take a drug test independently, which Parulava said they also defied in protest of what he called a “dirty and disgraceful practice that the Russian regime is trying to bring back to Georgia.”
TV personality and protest figure Nanuka Zhorzholiani wrote on Facebook late at night that all those taken for testing had negative results.
Testing positive or refusing to take a drug test may result in administrative detention or a fine of up to GEL 2,000 (about USD 730).
Georgian Dream’s Drug Crackdown
The incidents follow the Georgian Dream government’s tougher anti-drug rhetoric and tightening drug policy, part of its declared “uncompromising” fight against narcotics.
On June 27, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told ruling party lawmakers during his annual address to parliament that the government would be “absolutely irreconcilable” on drug-related offenses. “We will not allow anyone to poison our fellow citizens, including the youth,” Kobakhidze said. “We will also not allow anyone to use foreign funding in a non-transparent way to finance pro-drug campaigns or to encourage the use of marijuana, club drugs, and other similar substances.”
In addition, he thanked GD MPs for adopting the Foreign Agents Law and new rules on foreign grants, saying the measures were, among other things, meant to address the issue.
During its extraordinary sessions on July 2, the GD parliament rushed through legislative changes that criminalized the purchase and possession of more than five grams of marijuana, punishable by up to six years in prison.
In a separate move, GD MPs also banned private entities from providing opioid replacement therapy and prohibited the import and wholesale of psychotropic substances by private entities.
The Interior Ministry has recently intensified drug-related arrests. On the same night, activists were rounded up for drug testing, the Ministry arrested 34 people across Georgia on drug charges, GD Minister Gela Geladze said. He said those arrested included both Georgian and foreign citizens, with charges ranging from drug possession to dealing.
Several protesters now in pretrial detention face controversial drug-related charges, with their defense claiming police planted drugs on them. Among them are Giorgi Akhobadze, Anton Chechin, Nika Katsia, Anastasia Zinovkina, and Artem Gribul. They were arrested during pro-EU protests in November and December 2024 and face prison terms ranging from eight years to life.
Also Read:
- 18/03/2025 –GD to Introduce Forced Treatment of Drug Crime Convicts
- 11/03/2025 – GD Announces Tougher Drug Policy
- 17/08/2023 – Local Watchdog on Drug Policy Trends in 2022 Reveals Continued Emphasis on Punitive Measures
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