OC Media’s Mariam Nikuradze fined again, reaching a total of almost $5,500

Georgian police have fined OC Media co-founder and photographer Mariam Nikuradze for a third time for ‘blocking the road’, reaching a total of ₾15,000 ($5,500).

The fine, which Nikuradze received on Tuesday, was the third such time Nikuradze has been fined for allegedly ‘blocking the road’.

‘It’s an absurd amount of money in the first place, and in combination with the two previous fines, it is a total few Georgians could afford to pay’, Nikuradze told OC Media.

‘But it’s also even more absurd because I am being fined for doing my job as a journalist’.

Police said the latest fine was related to her actions during a protest on 2 April. At the time, as with the previous occasions, she attended the demonstration as a journalist and was actively taking pictures of the event.

Photos that she took of the protest showed a small contingent of demonstrators marching down Rustaveli Avenue, blocking one lane of traffic. In the background, several police cars that are blocking the entire road are visible.

Nikuradze was fined on two previous occasions, resulting in a prior total of ₾10,000 ($3,600).

According to the police, Nikuradze ‘blocked the road’ on 11 and 15 March, during the daily protests near the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi — at which time she was also photographing the demonstrations.

In addition to repeated fines levied against her, Nikuradze, like many other members of the press, has also been targeted by Georgian police several times during the ongoing protests.

On 28 November, she was knocked from a ledge by a water cannon, injuring her leg. Her camera was also destroyed. The incident appeared to have been deliberate, with police aiming the water stream away from the protesters and towards Nikuradze and other journalists who were filming.

On the night of 1–2 December, riot police attempted to detain Nikuradze as she filmed them making violent arrests. After another officer stated that she was a woman, the arresting officer threw her against a wall, damaging a second camera.

Over the last couple of months, numerous fines have been issued against anti-government demonstrators based on the same charge, with some individuals being repeatedly fined multiple times. In addition to protesters, the police have also penalised several journalists.

At the end of last year, amendments were made to the Administrative Code, increasing fines for road blocking from ₾500 ($180) to ₾5,000 ($1,800).

According to the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), from November 2024 until 18 March 2025, the total amount of fines imposed on protesters reached ₾2 million ($720,000).

‘A very heavy burden’: Georgia’s protesters facing dramatically increased fines for blocking roads

Amid police violence, the Georgian government is resorting to a new method to counter the uninterrupted protests — repressive legislation.

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