Tbilisi City Court has sentenced anti-government activist Isako Devidze to 20 days of administrative detention. He had been charged with petty hooliganism and disobedience to police, charges frequently used against government critics.
Devidze was detained in central Tbilisi near the parliament on Tuesday night, following a demonstration marking the 300th day of the daily anti-government protests.
A video captured at the time of the arrest shows police handcuffing Devidze and escorting him, hands behind his back, toward a vehicle, sparking protests from nearby demonstrators.
‘Why are you treating him so roughly? He’s coming with you!’, someone says in the footage.
One officer in the video then states that Devidze was being detained for disobedience related to blocking the road.
Later, the Interior Ministry told local media that the activist was also charged with petty hooliganism.
Devidze has previously been targeted by Georgian law enforcement. In February, he was among the activists whose homes were searched; at the time, he was detained for several days and later fined ₾3,500 ($1,300) under charges of disobeying police.
The latest wave of protests in Georgia began on 28 November, when Georgian Dream announced the suspension of the country’s EU membership bid. The first phase of demonstrations saw heavy clashes and brutal police violence against protesters and journalists.
Alongside the physical crackdown, Georgian Dream passed numerous restrictive laws during the protests, targeting street demonstrations, the media, civil society, and the political opposition.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
