Mass protests in Georgia have been ongoing for almost a year, despite arrests and fines. The unrest does not subside even on the day of local elections. Activists, journalists, and human rights defenders are persecuted for participating in rallies against the government, which suspended negotiations on EU accession. And the repressions in this country have drawn comparisons with Georgia's neighbor Russia, AP reports, writes UNN.
Details
Protests in Georgia began when the government suspended negotiations on joining the European Union. This step came after the long-ruling Georgian Dream party won the elections, which the opposition claimed were rigged.
Rallies continue despite government repression using laws targeting demonstrators, human rights groups, NGOs, and independent media, the publication writes.
More protests are planned for this weekend, coinciding with local elections.
"The crackdown in this South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people has drawn comparisons to Georgia's powerful neighbor and former imperial ruler Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has crushed dissent. Georgian Dream is accused of steering the country into Moscow's orbit of influence," the publication says.
According to the deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Europe and Central Asia, these harsh measures are unprecedented in the country's history of independence and are relentlessly escalating. Human Rights Watch claims that Georgia is experiencing a "rights crisis."
But Georgia's active civil society is resisting, and the question has become "who will blink first." If it's the public and civil society, they may wake up in an authoritarian country, the publication quotes one of the country's residents as saying.
Fines, beatings, and imprisonment
The brutal crackdown intensified after largely peaceful protests in late November 2024, when more than 400 people were detained over two weeks.
At least 300 reported severe beatings and other instances of ill-treatment, according to Amnesty International. The group claims that a significant portion of cases occur while in custody and without witnesses.
According to Transparency International Georgia, an anti-corruption organization, between April 2024 and August 2025, at least 76 people faced criminal prosecution during protests, and more than 60 people were imprisoned. The number of prosecutions has likely increased now, and dozens of people have received large fines.
A Human Rights Watch representative says it's difficult to estimate how many people have been fined, but he believes it could be thousands. Fines are issued automatically, like highway tolls and traffic tickets, and authorities use surveillance cameras with facial recognition.
In the summer, eight opposition leaders were imprisoned on charges of refusing to cooperate with a parliamentary investigation, and two more were arrested later on other charges. The opposition said these arrests were politically motivated.
In August, authorities froze the bank accounts of seven human rights groups. Prosecutors alleged that they supplied demonstrators with equipment such as masks, pepper spray, and protective goggles, which were used during clashes with police. The organizations stated that the equipment was intended for journalists covering the rallies.
"The government is trying to create a narrative about attempts to overthrow the government, violate the constitution, and commit sabotage and violence," said Guram Imnadze of the Center for Social Justice, an organization whose funds were frozen.
"Another goal is to 'stop all independent actors in the country, limit or reduce democratic free spaces in the country, (and) make independent actors, such as NGOs, media, or individual activists, unable to support democracy,'" he said.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced last month a lawsuit against everyone considered to fall under the umbrella of the United National Movement, radical opposition, and foreign influence: "Against everyone. Against everyone, everyone."
He claimed that the protests were organized and financed from abroad.
"No foreign agent will be able to destabilize the situation in the country," he added, referring to legislation that allows NGOs, media, and individuals to be labeled "foreign agents."
Call for EU pressure on the government
Last month, Human Rights Watch and other international human rights organizations called on the EU and its member states to "use all diplomatic and legal tools at their disposal to pressure Georgian officials and representatives of the judiciary, prosecution, and law enforcement agencies involved in human rights violations and the persecution of human rights defenders and civil society activists."
In turn, a European Commission official told AP that "the repressive actions taken by the Georgian authorities are far from what can be expected from a candidate country."
"The EU is ready to consider Georgia's return to the path of EU accession if the authorities take convincing steps to overcome the backsliding from democracy," the official said.
Addition
Earlier, UNN wrote that 81 international observers will work at the local elections in Georgia on October 4, which is significantly fewer than the 1024 in 2021. The OSCE and reputable local NGOs refused to observe due to a late invitation and legislative restrictions.