Amid the ongoing repression, draconian fines imposed on demonstrators have reached 2 million GEL, according to information released by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association.

As the NGO explains, the practice of fining demonstrators for blocking roads during spontaneous assemblies is a grave violation of the right to freedom of assembly and expression.

“The Georgian Dream government has amended Article 174¹ of the Code of Administrative Offenses, as a result of which the fine for blocking roads during spontaneous demonstrations has increased 10-fold, from 500 GEL to 5,000 GEL.

When conducting cases under this article, the police use facial recognition cameras. Typically, the only evidence in such cases is photographs taken from facial recognition cameras, which, largely ignoring the relevant context, are considered sufficient evidence by the court to consider a person a violator.

From November 2024 to March 18, 2025, the amount of fines imposed on protest participants under this article reaches 2,000,000 GEL.

The practice of fining demonstrators for blocking roads during spontaneous gatherings is a grave violation of the right to freedom of assembly and expression,” reads the information.