Demonstrators interrupt a corporate banquet for judges, resulting in clashes and detentions

The demonstrators attempted to disrupt the dinner, protesting against corruption in the judiciary and the prosecutions of anti-government demonstrators, which is widely regarded by critics as being politically motivated.

On 13 January, family members of the detained protesters, activists and others gathered at the restaurant Babilo in Tbilisi, chanting and throwing eggs at the judges, who were there to attend a corporate banquet.

The gathering began around midday and continued into the night, with several moments of escalation. Those present were outraged upon learning that the judges, including those involved in cases related to anti-government demonstrations, were attending a corporate dinner while protesters remained in prison, awaiting sentencing.

‘How do [these judges] sleep peacefully at night?’ said Nargiz Tsetskhladze, the mother of activist Zviad Tsetskhladze, who was detained during the protests and faces up to nine years in prison, in an interview with Mtavari Arkhi.

‘I don’t really understand how they can look their children, their relatives, and the citizens of Georgia in the eye’, she added.

The demonstrators heckled the judges as they entered and exited the restaurant, while some held a large banner reading, ‘A corrupt justice system undermines democracy and violates human rights’.

Amid the protest, some judges were unable to enter the restaurant, and others were pelted with eggs as they left. Lili Mskhiladze, one of the judges present, criticised the protesters, accusing them of violence and obstructing her constitutional rights to free movement.

‘You should all be arrested’, she told them.

Among those present at the restaurant was Levan Murusidze, a well-known appellate judge and a figure often referred to as the leader of the so-called ‘court clan’, a group of judges allegedly close to the government.

By the end of the day, police presence increased sharply, and arrests began in the evening. According to the Interior Ministry, a total of nine people were detained near the restaurant under administrative offenses related to disobedience of police orders and disorderly conduct.