“We saw a little while ago that the German Ambassador found himself in a confusing situation because he passed through a protest. As he himself says, he ended up there by accident, was too lazy to cross to the other side of the road, and got caught up in such a huge international scandal. So, don’t obstruct the movement of others,” said Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, commenting on the further tightening of rules for assemblies and demonstrations.

According to Papuashvili, the new draft is fully consistent with both the standards of the Constitution of Georgia and Strasbourg case law.

“There is no legal flaw in this draft. Regarding the content of the draft, the same principle applies as with vehicular traffic: citizens’ movement should not be obstructed. Currently, there is a notification procedure for all such gatherings. Accordingly, if such a gathering hinders or obstructs citizens’ ability to move, the police will have the authority to direct an alternative route. The principle is the same – if citizens moving by car should not experience unnecessary discomfort, the road should not be blocked unless there is a sufficient number of people. It is positive that society as a whole, including those participating in protests, agrees to comply with the law and understands what standard should apply. The same applies to pedestrians – if there is not a sufficient number of participants, other citizens’ movement should not be obstructed. Blocking should not occur artificially.

Anyone wishing to express protest has every opportunity to do so without obstructing the rights of other citizens,” Papuashvili stated.

For context, “Georgian Dream” is further tightening rules related to assemblies and demonstrations. The amendments to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations and the Administrative Code of Offenses are being considered urgently by Parliament and are expected to be adopted quickly.

The draft establishes that state authorities are obliged to provide prior warning if an assembly or demonstration takes place in public traffic areas. According to the project, if an assembly threatens public safety, order, the normal functioning of institutions and organizations, or the movement of vehicles and people, state authorities will have the right to instruct participants on an alternative location, time, or route for the demonstration.

Failure to comply with such instructions will result in liability.