Georgia allows holding protests from December 21 to January 9, but with restrictions

The Interior Ministry of Georgia has authorised protests from December 21 to January 9 but has imposed restrictions on demonstrators’ movements, Sputnik Georgia reports.

According to the document published on the ministry’s website, participants are allowed to protest on the steps in front of the parliament building and nearby areas, but they must not obstruct pedestrian or vehicle traffic.

Additionally, protesters are required to comply with public safety rules and avoid interfering with the normal functioning of government bodies, businesses, institutions, and organizations.

The protests will take place daily from 19:00 to 24:00.

This framework comes in the context of a prolonged political crisis triggered by the disputed October 2024 parliamentary elections, widely criticised for irregularities, and exacerbated by the ruling Georgian Dream party's November 2024 decision to suspend EU accession talks until 2028. Daily protests, initially drawing tens of thousands, have continued into late 2025, demanding new elections and a return to the pro-Western path. Authorities have responded with repressive measures, including mass arrests (over 6,000 administrative detentions in 2024–2025), steep fines, and new laws restricting assemblies, such as advance notification requirements and bans on masks or temporary structures.

Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned these restrictions as effectively criminalising peaceful dissent, while the government frames them as necessary for public order.

By Khagan Isayev