Levan Maisuradze, Director of the Patrol Police Department, arrived at the ongoing protest near Parliament.

He personally explained to the protesters the recent amendments to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations and warned them that if the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not notified in advance about holding an assembly, administrative liability will apply.

“As you all know, amendments were introduced to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations on December 12. For more than five days now, you have not submitted the relevant application. The letter submitted by your associate, Mikheil Tsagareishvili, does not comply with the norms provided by law. Accordingly, I warn you to comply with the legal requirements and to submit your applications. After that, you should wait for a response, which will be published on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and will include further instructions.

If you fail to comply with this law and do not act accordingly, your assembly or demonstration will constitute an administrative offense. Under the relevant legislation, participants in the protest may face up to 15 days of detention, and organizers up to 20 days. Therefore, I urge all participants in the rally to comply with the norms established by law,” Levan Maisuradze told the protesters.

The statement by the Director of the Patrol Police Department was met with protest from those gathered near Parliament.

They stated that they would “not comply” with the amendments to the law. Chants were heard such as: “No justice, no peace,” “This is illegality,” and “We do not intend to obey your laws.”

In addition, Archimandrite Dorote Kurashvili, who was present at the rally, addressed the law enforcement official and asked him to explain how the protesters were obstructing pedestrians.

“I want to ask you - are we not allowed to assemble here? Where exactly is the place where we are obstructing [the public]? Where is such a place here - can you explain it to us? Is this a location that obstructs movement? If so, then everywhere is public space - outside one’s front door is also public space. What does this mean?” the Archimandrite said.

“Under the norms provided by law, if citizens’ movement is obstructed, this must be agreed upon at least five days in advance. Are you not obstructing public movement? Is this not a public space? I do not intend to engage in a discussion - I have explained and informed you. These amendments will be enforced with the full severity of the law,” the Director of the Patrol Police Department replied to Archimandrite Dorote Kurashvili.

For reference, Parliament has approved amendments to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations, according to which there is an obligation to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs in advance if an assembly or demonstration is held in an area intended for pedestrian movement. Similar to blocking roadways, the law now stipulates that artificially blocking pedestrian areas is prohibited unless the number of participants in the assembly or demonstration requires it. It is also prohibited to block pedestrian areas with vehicles, various structures, or objects.

The organizer of an assembly or demonstration is required to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs instead of the municipal authority. Upon receiving the notification, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is authorized to propose a change in the location or route of the assembly or demonstration if it deems that the proposed form, location, or route poses a threat to public order, the state and public institutions, enterprises, facilities and organizations, the normal functioning of transport, or the free movement of people.

If participants in a spontaneous or non-spontaneous assembly refuse to hold the assembly or demonstration at the location or along the route proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and nevertheless proceed to hold it at the original location, participants may face administrative detention for up to 15 days, while organizers may face up to 20 days of detention. Repeated commission of the same act by a participant or organizer will result in criminal liability under Article 347 of the Criminal Code, specifically imprisonment for up to one year.