Parliament has adopted, under an accelerated procedure, a draft law that expands restrictions on holding assemblies and demonstrations in pedestrian areas. The legislative package passed its third and final reading with 79 votes in favor and 9 against.
The amendments to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations introduce a new requirement to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) when an assembly or demonstration is planned in areas used for pedestrian movement. Under the revised rules, if a gathering is deemed to pose a threat to public safety, law and order, the functioning of institutions and transport, or the free movement of people, the relevant state body will have the authority to instruct participants to relocate, reschedule, or modify the form of the demonstration.
Responsibility for notification is also shifting: organizers will now be required to inform the MIA, rather than municipal authorities, about their planned assembly. After receiving such notice, the MIA may propose changes to the place or route of the gathering if it determines that the originally selected form, location, or route threatens public order, the normal operation of state and public bodies, enterprises and organizations, transport infrastructure, or pedestrian movement.
The draft imposes penalties for non-compliance. If participants in a spontaneous or non-spontaneous gathering refuse the alternative location proposed by the MIA and proceed with the assembly in the original place, they may face administrative detention of up to 15 days, while organizers may face up to 20 days. Repeated violations may lead to criminal liability under Article 347 of the Criminal Code, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to one year.
The draft law was introduced by Archil Gorduladze, Chairman of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee.
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