Georgia detains 13 in Tbilisi protest against activist sentencing

The Interior Ministry of Georgia has announced that 13 people were detained during a protest in Tbilisi late on November 19.

The demonstration was held by opposition supporters in support of 21-year-old Mate Devidze, who in June was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for attacking police officers during a protest in November 2024, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

The ministry says the detainees failed to comply with lawful police orders, blocked a road, and verbally abused law enforcement officers.

The event is part of the ongoing 2024–2025 Georgian protests, which have persisted for over a year amid accusations of electoral fraud by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and a perceived pivot away from EU integration. Devidze, a musician from Telavi, has become a symbol of youth resistance, with supporters labelling him a "prisoner of conscience."

Devidze was arrested in the early hours of November 19, 2024, during a police crackdown on an opposition encampment on Chavchavadze (Melikishvili) Avenue, part of widespread demonstrations against GD's alleged rigging of the October 26, 2024, elections. Initially charged administratively, his case was reclassified as criminal for "violence against police during duty performance." Prosecutors alleged he assaulted three officers with a "stick-like object."

By Khagan Isayev