The ruling Georgian Dream party is proposing tougher penalties for repeat protest-related offenses through amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, to be reviewed by Parliament in expedited procedure.
Under the proposed changes, if a person fails to pay a fine for actions such as blocking roads, insulting officials, or disobeying police orders, and repeats the offense, they will no longer receive another fine, instead, they will face administrative imprisonment. The amendments apply to repeat violations including:
- Disobeying lawful orders from law enforcement
- Insulting political or public officials
- Breaching the rules on assemblies and demonstrations
The new law also alters the appeal process: if a case involves imprisonment as a penalty, decisions made by administrative bodies can no longer be appealed to higher administrative bodies but must go directly to court. Importantly, a court ruling on such a matter will come into immediate legal force, and appealing it will not suspend execution.
These changes introduce stricter enforcement mechanisms for protest-related actions and signal a more rigid stance by the government on civic disobedience and public demonstrations.
