— September edition

Dear readers,

As anticipated, with the 4th of October local elections just around the corner, September was eventful.

As I’m writing this just a day before the vote, much remains to be seen. Tomorrow’s planned demonstration will be an event to follow — whether it goes ahead peacefully, whether the police move to disperse it, and how the public responds could set the tone for what follows.

Our team will be running live updates throughout the day (and possibly the night) on our website and social media, and I will be on the streets as events unfold.

At OC Media, we believe journalism should remain free and accessible to everyone. But if you value our reporting and are able to, please consider becoming an OC Media member or making a one-time donation. Your support helps us build the first member-funded media outlet in the Caucasus — and helps us push against the hardliners.

1 September: Georgia summoned the heads of several NGOs over an alleged sabotage case, as well as freezing the accounts of seven of them. Authorities alleged the NGOs funded activities undermining the state.

2 September: The parliamentary Commission investigating the opposition published their findings. Georgian Dream has repeatedly vowed to use the findings to ban opposition parties.

3 September: Tbilisi City Court acquitted protester Nika Katsia of drug charges. He was the third protester to be cleared of drug charges.

5 September: President Kavelashvili pardoned opposition Lelo — Strong Georgia leaders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. The two said this was an attempt to discredit them in the eyes of opposition voters ahead of the elections.

18 September: Former Georgian Dream MP Zurab Zviadauri was arrested for ‘illegal possession of a firearm’. Zviadauri was previously arrested in 2021 on charges of premeditated murder in a case that is still ongoing.

22 September: Georgia launched a probe into NGO grants following FARA inquiries, targeting dozens of organisations.

27 September: Georgian Dream announced plans to file a lawsuit in October to ban the main opposition parties. The ruling party claims the opposition engaged in illegal activities that justify the ban.

28 September: Swiss photojournalist Gregor Sommer was denied entry to Georgia after refusing to pay a ₾10,000 ($3,700) fine for allegedly ‘blocking the road’ during protests. Another journalist from Germany was held for hours at the border before paying a ₾5,000 ($1,900) fine — also for allegedly blocking a road.

29 September: Authorities launched a criminal investigation and froze the accounts of the parents of Giorgi Bachiashvili, the jailed ally-turned-critic of Bidzina Ivanishvili.

29 September: Opposition activist Gela Khasaia was charged with causing intentional injury as part of a group, which carries a possible sentence of up to six years in prison.

2 September: Russian activist Anton Chechin was sentenced to 8.5 years on drug charges. He was detained during the EU U-turn protests.

2 September: Tbilisi City Court sentenced 8 protesters to between 2 and 2.5 years in prison for ‘violating public order-’.

3 September: Tbilisi City Court sentenced 11 protesters to two years in prison for ‘violating public order’.

3 September: Protester Saba Skhvitaridze was sentenced to 2 years in prison for allegedly attacking a police officer during the protests. Skhvitaridze had accused police brutality and making rape threats during his detention.

11 September: Opposition figure Levan Khabeishvili was arrested for publicly offering $200,000 to police officers to refuse to disperse protests.

12 September: Russian activists Anastasia Zinovkina and Artem Gribul were sentenced to 8.5 years on drug charges. The two were arrested during the EU U-turn protests and claimed the drugs were planted on them.

18 September: Activists Nika Narsia and Konstantine Mikaia were sentenced to 15 and 10 days in prison for refusing to pay fines for blocking the road during daily anti-government protests.

25 September: Activist Isako Devidze was sentenced to 20 days in jail for ‘petty hooliganism’. He was arrested at a protest in Tbilisi marking the 300th day of daily anti-government demonstrations.

2 September: Police detained at least 16 activists at a protest over the work of Georgian Dream’s anti-opposition parliamentary commission.

9 September: Protester Megi Diasamidze was arrested for writing ‘Russian Dream’ on an election poster of Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. The charges against her carry a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.

11 September: Two Ukrainians were arrested in Georgia for allegedly smuggling explosives from Turkey. The authorities said they believed there was a connection to the upcoming elections in Georgia.

15 September: Opposition figure Elene Khoshtaria was arrested for writing ‘Russian Dream’ on an election poster. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to five years in prison. She was remanded into custody after refusing to pay bail.

3 September: Georgian Dream’s youth wing leader was filmed spitting on and insulting protesters and a journalist.

8 September: Georgian Dream supporters attacked protesters outside the party’s Tbilisi election HQ. Police later arrested two of the attackers before releasing them without charge.

15 September: A 16-year-old boy confronted protesters with what appeared to be a gun during a protest in Tbilisi. The boy was arrested and later released without charges, with the government stating the weapon was a pneumatic pistol.

1 September: Protester Rezo Kiknadze reported that police threatened to sodomise and bury him alive during his detention.

6 September: An individual linked to Ivanishvili’s son was implicated in a shooting at a Tbilisi restaurant.

6 September: An Azerbaijani student at a Georgian university was denied entry into Georgia over alleged unpaid fines.

7 September: Georgian Dream invited the OSCE to observe local elections less than a month left before they were scheduled to take place, after previously announcing they would not do so. The OSCE said the late invitation meant it was impossible. Major local election observer groups will also not monitor the vote.

17 September: Several figures from the opposition For Georgia and Lelo parties stood down in protest over the decision to take part in the elections.

22 September: Opposition candidate Asef Chiragov withdrew to defect to Georgian Dream.

22 September: Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze threatened the use of force against ‘anyone who breaks the law’ on election day, amid planned demonstrations.

25 September: Three more opposition candidates withdrew amid alleged state pressure.

1 September: President Kavelashvili, published a letter to Trump complaining that he was not paying enough attention to Georgia, resulting in the ‘deep state’ taking the lead.

2 September: Opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia announced he had no plans to return to Georgia as other opposition figures faced arrest. The authorities are investigating him under charges of sabotage.

4 September: A survey found that over 50% of Georgians would blame Georgian Dream for a suspension of the EU’s visa free scheme with Georgia.

8 September: Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili accused German ambassador Peter Fischer of sponsoring protesters who were attacked by Georgian Dream supporters outside the party’s election HQ.

11 September: President Kavelashvili claimed that the late US far-right commentator Charlie Kirk was ‘another victim of liberal fascism’.

15 September: Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze met Kadyrov-linked UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev, calling him ‘brother’.

16 September: Georgian Dream escalated rhetoric against Western ambassadors and Ukraine.

24 September: Zelenskyi said that Europe ‘lost Georgia’, prompting pushback from Georgian Dream.

24 September: Georgia summoned German Ambassador Peter Fischer over alleged interference in internal affairs, including encouraging a ‘radical agenda’.

25 September: President Kavelashvili addressed the UN General Assembly, saying Georgians would not tolerate ‘blackmail’.

25 September: Georgian Dream propagandist Zaza Shatirishvili urged opposition-minded Georgians to emigrate, drawing parallels to Franco-era Spain.

26 September: The ECHR accepted a complaint by 19 journalists injured by police during the 2023 foreign agent law protests.

29 September: PM Irakli Kobakhidze said he would not congratulate Moldovan President Maia Sandu on her election victory, due to Moldova’s CIS membership.