Georgian authorities are using newly adopted restrictions on public assemblies to arbitrarily detain and harass peaceful demonstrators, effectively making the right to protest in Georgia increasingly difficult and dangerous, Human Rights Watch said today.

According to the article, amendments adopted on December 12, 2025, to the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations grant police sweeping discretion to restrict protests on roadways and pedestrian areas, including sidewalks, and impose harsh penalties for noncompliance.

„Since the law entered into force, police have pursued dozens of cases against demonstrators, including for merely standing on a sidewalk near parliament, raising serious concerns about abuse of power and violations of Georgia’s international human rights obligations.

“These amendments give police dangerously broad powers to decide when, where, and whether people can protest,” said Giorgi Gogia, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “In practice, the law appears to be enforced arbitrarily to punish peaceful expression and push critical voices out of public spaces.”

“Requiring advance notification for people peacefully standing on a sidewalk, then jailing them based on vague police instructions and thin evidence, is plainly disproportionate,” Gogia said. “These measures do not protect public order. They suppress dissent.”