Liveblog: Resistance | Video Evidence in Trial of Activists on Group Violence Charges Is Edited
Non-stop protests have been taking place across Georgia for 260 days since Georgian Dream announced it was halting the EU integration process. Since then, protesters have blocked Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue, where the parliament building is located, every day, while daily gatherings have also taken place in other major Georgian cities. Georgian Dream authorities, whose legitimacy is disputed after the contested October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections, have responded to the protests with force and repression.
The one-party parliament has introduced a series of repressive laws to crack down on dissent, independent media, and civil society. Dozens have been arrested and remain in jail on criminal charges, including protesters, opposition leaders, and journalist Mzia Amaglobeli. Key demands include the release of political prisoners, the resignation of the GD government, and the scheduling of new elections.
For earlier developments, refer to our previous:
- Liveblog: Resistance 2024,
- Liveblog: Resistance 2025, Vol. 1
- Liveblog: Resistance 2025, Vol. 2
- Liveblog: Resistance 2025, Vol. 3
Monday, August 18
14:00 – Video Evidence in Trial of Activists on Group Violence Charges Is Edited
Video evidence against Tornike Goshadze and Irakli Miminoshvili, two of the eight activists arrested in December during anti-GD protests and now on trial on group violence charges, is edited and splices together different footage, according to a report by the Samkharauli National Forensic Bureau. Lawyer Nino Lominadze has demanded that the report be submitted to the case. Prosecutors said the report is reliable. The development was reported by RFE/RL’s live blog covering the August 18 court session.
00:10 – Two Detained on Administrative Charges on Rustaveli Avenue
Two protesters were detained on Rustaveli Avenue near the Parliament in Tbilisi as the road was reopening to traffic. Media reports said they were detained on administrative charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying police orders.
Thursday, August 14
13:30 – Detainee in Drug Case Accuses Police of Sexual Assault Threats
During today’s court hearing, Anastasia Zinovkina, one of the detainees facing drug-related charges, accused police officer Irakli Mukhatgverdeli of threatening her with sexual assault during her detention, according to a live blog by RFE/RL’s Georgian Service. Zinovkina recalled that while she was in the police car after being detained, Mukhatgverdeli displayed aggressive behavior, especially when she turned her head to see what was happening. “This is how people under the influence of alcohol or drugs behave… It was uncomfortable,” she said. According to her testimony, Mukhatgverdeli repeatedly threatened to rape her, pressured her to hand over her phone password, and warned, “What did you think of going to the rallies? You’ll regret it. No one will notice how we will kill you.” She added that during the search, he ordered her not to move, threatening sexual assault if she did.
Zinovkina, a Russian citizen, was arrested alongside her partner, Artem Gribul, on December 19. The couple is charged under Article 260, Section 6, Part A of Georgia’s Criminal Code for the acquisition and possession of particularly large quantities of drugs, an offense punishable by eight to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment. Both have pleaded not guilty, claiming their arrest is linked to their participation in recent protests in Tbilisi.
12:15 – Tbilisi City Court Remands Poet Zviad Ratiani in Custody
Tbilisi City Court has remanded poet Zviad Ratiani in custody following his June 23 arrest during a nighttime protest near Parliament, where he faces charges of assaulting a police officer under Article 353 Prima of Georgia’s Criminal Code, punishable by four to seven years in prison. Prosecutors argued that legal grounds for detention remain, while the defense sought his release on 10,000 GEL [3710 USD] bail, but the judge rejected the request, keeping Ratiani in custody. Addressing the court, Ratiani said the alleged slap at the center of the case was “the most painless or minimally painful symbolic … behavior.”
Tuesday, August 12
13:30 – Jailed Activist Begins Hunger Strike in Solidarity with Cellmate Insaf Aliyev
Denis Kulanin, a jailed Russian activist sentenced on charges of damaging a police car during a March 28 protest outside the Georgian Parliament, has begun a hunger strike in solidarity with his cellmate, another jailed activist, Insaf Aliyev, who is also refusing food to protest what he calls inhumane prison conditions. Marina Meskhi wrote on social media that Kulanin demands to return Aliyev from solitary confinement to his regular cell, noting that Kulanin had appealed to the Public Defender, but no visit was made yet.
12:30 – Appeals Court Upholds 11-Year Sentence for Ex–Ivanishvili Fund Chief Bachiashvili
The Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court sentencing Giorgi Bachiashvili, the jailed former head of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Co-Investment Fund and once a close associate of the GD founder, to 11 years in prison on charges of embezzling cryptocurrency and money laundering. Bachiashvili, who was arrested in May, claims he was abducted abroad in an operation involving State Security Service chief Anri Okhanashvili. He fled Georgia in March, citing “credible information” that his life would be in danger if he were imprisoned.
In July, he was beaten in prison by another inmate. Bachiashvili described it as “coordinated activity between the prison administration and criminals”, and sustained head wounds and facial injuries. Read more about the case here.
11:00 – Protester Anatoli Gigauri Sentenced to Two Years in Jail as Court Reduces Charges
Anatoli Gigauri, a protester and war veteran detained after a rally last November, was sentenced to two years in prison after the judge’s last-minute decision to reclassify charges from the initial assault on a police officer to a relatively softer “resistance, threat or violence” against an official. Gigauri has pleaded innocent, with the defense pointing to the video evidence that shows a police officer hitting the defendant first.
Monday, August 11
18:00 – SJC Seeks Criminal Accountability of MIA Officials Over Late-2024 Protest Dispersals
Social Justice Center, a Georgian human rights group, has formally requested Tbilisi’s Prosecutor’s Office to launch criminal proceedings against former and current senior officials of the Interior Ministry over violence committed against protesters during Tbilisi’s late-2024 Rustaveli Avenue protests.
17:00 – Tbilisi City Court Sends Another Protester to Seven Days’ Administrative Detention
Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Tsekvava sent protester Ioseb Jandieri to seven days of administrative detention after he was detained on August 9 on charges of petty hooliganism and disobedience of a lawful police order.
11:00 – Pro-EU Protester Insaf Aliev on Hunger Strike
Insaf Aliev, one of eight protesters detained during recent pro-EU demonstrations in Georgia and facing charges of participating in group violence that carry prison sentences of four to six years, has gone on hunger strike, his lawyer announced on Facebook. According to the lawyer, Aliev reported inhumane prison conditions, including cockroach infestations, lack of water, and blocked sanitation facilities after being moved to a new cell. Denied basic hygiene and food access for hours despite appeals for help, Aliev was punished with a five-day solitary confinement after knocking on his cell door for assistance. His lawyer stressed that Aliev suffers from health issues requiring medication and injections every two days, yet his access to essential treatment remains restricted.
Friday, August 8
17:50 – Two Protesters Each Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Jail on Molotov Cocktail Allegations
Two more protesters, Temur Zasokhashvili and Davit Lomidze, have each been sentenced to four years and six months in prison on charges of assaulting police officers, marking the tenth and eleventh jail terms handed down to individuals arrested in connection with Georgian protests since November 2024.
Wednesday, August 6
17:04 – Doctor, Activist Acquitted of Drug Charges in First Not-Guilty Verdict Tied to Current Protests
Giorgi Akhobadze, a 44-year-old doctor and civic activist, was acquitted of heavy drug charges, marking the first not-guilty verdict in dozens of ongoing criminal trials of those detained in the context of protests since November 2024. He was released from the courtroom after eight months in pre-trial custody.
14:00 – Journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli Sentenced to Two Years in Jail as Court Reclassifies Charges
Batumelebi and Netgazeti founder Mzia Amaghlobeli has been sentenced to two years in jail after the court’s last-minute decision to reclassify criminal charges from attack on a police officer to “resistance, threat or violence” against an official. While still deemed unfair by Amaghlobeli’s supporters, the verdict is seen as a slight retreat from the Georgian judiciary’s previously uncompromising stance on protest-related cases.
Tuesday, August 5
20:00 – “Don’t you dare! You cannot bring back Soviet terror!” Tbilisi Protesters Rally
“Don’t you dare! You cannot bring back Soviet terror!” – protesters march in Tbilisi in solidarity with detained journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, teacher Nino Datashvili, and others jailed over protests.
16:15 – Another Activist Fined 3500 GEL
Tbilisi City Court Judge Koba Chagunava has fined activist Mariam Mekantsishvili 3,500 GEL [ 1,296 USD] over the July 24 incident in Tbilisi’s Africa settlement. That day, tensions flared on Tvalchrelidze Street as the National Enforcement Bureau carried out evictions from a building it said was unsafe, privately owned, and illegally occupied. Throughout the day, dozens of families were removed, and other citizens gathered at the scene. By evening, 17 people, including residents and activists, had been detained on administrative charges, mainly for disobeying police orders.
12:30 – Appeals Court Overturns Fine Against RFE/RL Journalist in Contempt Case
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals, led by acting chair Irakli Shengelia, has overturned a decision by Tbilisi City Court judge Romeo Tkeshelashvili to fine Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Nino Tarkhnishvili 200 GEL [74 USD] for alleged contempt of court. Tkeshelashvili imposed the fine on July 7 during a hearing in the case of pro-European rally participant and doctor Giorgi Akhobadze, accused of drug-related offenses, claiming Tarkhnishvili sat down without permission before the judge formally allowed it. However, the Appeals Court, citing video footage of the session, found that Tarkhnishvili had stood up upon the court clerk’s prompt after the recess, refuting the City Court’s account and nullifying the penalty.
Monday, August 4
13:00 – RSF Slams Georgia’s Growing Wave of Journalist Entry Bans
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Paris-based press freedom watchdog, has condemned what it calls a “worrying rise in authoritarianism” after Moroccan journalist Hicham El Bouhmidi, known for covering anti-government protests, was denied entry at the Georgian border. Similar bans have affected other journalists, including French reporters Jérôme Chobeaux, Clément Girardot, and Marylise Vigneau were denied Entry in Georgia. “We condemn the wave of entry bans imposed on more than five journalists in recent months,” RSF stated, urging authorities to halt these restrictions on press freedom.