A leading media executive was sentenced to pre-trial detention on 12 January while she faces trial for slapping a police officer during an argument outside of a police station. Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder of Georgian media outlets Netgazeti and Batumelebi, was arrested during a protest against the Georgian government’s repressive response to nationwide protests in December and January. Georgia’s media community, 14 embassies, the EU Human Rights Commissioner, and international politicians have called for Amaghlobeli to be released while she awaits trial, arguing her detention is without legal basis and intended to punish her for her media outlets’ investigations into human rights abuses and official corruption. The arrest comes as part of a wider crackdown on media and protest, including police violence, that has been criticized by international and domestic human rights monitors and press freedom organizations. As of 6 February, Amaghobeli had been on a hunger strike protesting her continued pre-trial detention for 25 days. 

Sources: Eurasianet (1), Eurasianet (2), OC Media, Interpress, BBC 

Georgia’s parliament inaugurated Mikheil Kavelashvili as the country’s new president on 29 December in a process met by public protests and condemned as illegitimate by the political opposition, the outgoing president Salome Zourabichivili, and much of Georgian civil society. The inauguration marks a new phase in Georgian politics, where the opposition and the government no longer recognize each other’s political or legal legitimacy. Kavelashvili was elected in a parliamentary session boycotted by opposition MPs. Critics hold that the October 2024 election was irreparably marred by irregularities and signs of tampering by the victorious Georgian Dream and call for a rerun. The final report from the OSCE election monitoring mission released on 27 December echoed these concerns, finding “reports of intimidation, coercion, inducement, and pressure on voters,” raising concerns about “the ability of some voters to freely form their opinions and cast their votes without fear of retribution.”

Sources: OC Media (1), British Broadcasting Corporation, OC Media (2), International IDEA, OSCE

A new Public Service Law in effect on 30 December was criticized by civil servants and civil society organizations for giving the government excess influence over the staffing of nominally independent state agencies. Under the new law, upper and middle management civil servants will be classified as administrative staff, not civil servants, and can be hired and fired by the government at will. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association criticized the law for increasing the risk of the politicization of the civil service, and dozens of civil servants reported being dismissed without cause or in retaliation for previous criticism of government policies on 31 December and in early January 2025. Public competition will also no longer be required for these posts and candidates will not have to meet previously legislated competency requirements. All civil servants will be evaluated biannually instead of annually and two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations will result in dismissal.

Sources: Civil.ge (1), Publika, Civil.ge (2), OC Media

Major protests broke out around the country after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced Georgia would be ‘pausing’ EU accession until 2028. The scale of the protests, as well as reports of excessive violence in the police response, led civil society observers and foreign officials to raise concerns about the country’s overall stability. Many high-ranking civil servants have resigned in protest and hundreds more have openly condemned the government’s actions. Over 300 protesters had been detained as of 3 December, and local rights NGOs accused police of torturing detainees. Tensions over the political neutrality of the country’s institutions were already high.  

UPDATE: Street protests continued throughout December 2024. Gangs of masked men in black clothes have also been filmed attacking protesters, journalists, and opposition figures, resulting in multiple hospitalizations. The government has denied reports of excessive force by police and any connection to the masked gangs, but no arrests of the latter have been made. The government also passed several new laws on 30 December making certain activities at protests, such as blocking a road, possessing unauthorized placards or posters, possessing firecrackers, or covering one’s face punishable by fines

Sources: Euronews, Eurasianet (1), OC Media (1), Netgazeti, Eurasianet (2), Reuters, OC Media (2), Publika, JAM News

International election observers criticized the conduct of Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary election, citing widespread pressure on voters to support the ruling party, the underrepresentation of women (partly due to the removal of gender quotas), limited campaign finance oversight that favoured the ruling Georgian Dream party, and more. Observers also found the election to be “marred by concerns over recently adopted legislation [and] its impact on fundamental freedoms and civil society.” Data analysts also found evidence of irregular patterns in electoral precinct data that indicated some degree of vote-buying, ballot stuffing, or other activities in favour of Georgian Dream. The domestic opposition pledged to boycott the incoming Parliament, Sweden suspended development cooperation with the Georgian government, and US President Joe Biden and other Western officials called on the Georgian government to fully investigate reports of electoral interference and voter pressure.  

Sources: OSCE, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Civil.ge 

UPDATE: Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) certified the results of the election on 16 November. The announcement was disrupted when a representative of the opposition United National Movement threw black paint in the face of CEC chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili. Georgian rights NGOs accused the country’s courts of ‘fast-tracking’ and rejecting lawsuits challenging the conduct of October parliamentary elections in order to ensure results could be certified as scheduled. Parliament was inaugurated on 25 November, and legal experts argue the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to do so was unconstitutional, as the Constitutional Court was still reviewing a case lodged by President Salome Zourabichvili contesting the validity of the election. 

New Sources: OC Media, Netgazeti, RBC Ukraine 

On 26 October, Georgia held a parliamentary election in which all 150 seats were contested under a fully proportional system for the first time. The incumbent right-wing Georgian Dream remained the largest party and won 89 seats with a vote share of 53.93 per cent. The centre-right Coalition for Change secured 19 seats with a vote share of 11.03 per cent. The Unity National Movement became the third-largest coalition, securing 16 seats with a vote share of 10.17 per cent. President Salome Zourabichvili, along with the opposition and civil society, have rejected the results of the election and have called for protests against the ruling party. Election observation missions have expressed concern about possible intimidation and vote buying surrounding the election. Voter turnout in the election stood at 58.73 per cent, a slight increase from the 2020 turnout of 56.75 per cent. 

Sources: Associated Press, British Broadcasting Corporation, Election Administration of Georgia, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe