Citizens Sandro Megrelishvili and Dimitri Jamburia have each been sentenced to four days of administrative detention after being found guilty of an administrative offense for standing on a sidewalk during a protest.
The ruling was issued by Davit Makaradze.
Defense lawyer Irakli Abesadze says the decision is based on what he described as an “absurd interpretation” of recently adopted legislative amendments regulating public assemblies and demonstrations.
“The ruling stems from Papuashvili’s Parliament’s absurd law, which attempts to deal with citizens through force,” Abesadze said, referring to the restrictive amendments adopted by the Parliament of Georgia and promoted by the ruling majority.
Abesadze stressed that the case file contains no evidence of any unlawful conduct, aside from the fact that the two individuals were peacefully standing on a sidewalk.
“There is absolutely no proof of wrongdoing,” the lawyer said. “The only ‘offense’ cited is that a person was standing on a sidewalk.”
Defense says the court applied an overly broad and selective interpretation of the law, criminalizing peaceful civic expression while allowing identical behavior in non-political contexts.
Abesadze criticized what he called a double standard in enforcement, arguing that ordinary activities carried out in public spaces are treated as lawful unless they involve political expression.
“In Judge Makaradze’s interpretation of the Kobakhidze–Papuashvili law, you may stand on a sidewalk drinking beer, eating sunflower seeds, gossiping about a neighbor, discussing football, or even talking about Ivanishvili’s zebras — and none of that constitutes an offense,” Abesadze said.
“But if you are standing on a sidewalk holding the Georgian flag and talking about the country’s future and its development paths, then you suddenly become a gross lawbreaker whose place is in detention for up to 15 days.”
He warned that under the same legislative framework, repeated participation in such discussions could be reclassified as a criminal offense, carrying a potential sentence of up to one year in prison.
The defense has announced plans to appeal the ruling to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, arguing that the decision violates fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Sandro Megrelishvili was prepared for this outcome,” Abesadze said. “As for what the servants of this regime intend to do next, I cannot say.”
The ruling comes amid heightened domestic and international criticism of Georgia’s recent legislative changes affecting protests and public gatherings. Human rights organizations and opposition figures have warned that the amendments are being used to deter civic activism and suppress dissent, particularly following months of street protests and political tension.
The authorities have defended the measures as necessary to maintain public order, while critics argue they represent a systematic erosion of democratic freedoms.
Image source: IPN
