The detention of protesters in Tbilisi resulted in a series of fines and arrests.

A Tbilisi court has fined and sentenced residents detained during a protest outside the parliament building to administrative arrest. Zurab Menteshashvili, 71, charged with blocking a road, has been remanded in custody.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on November 3, the 341st day of continuous protests, activists briefly blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue, after which they continued their protest on the sidewalk. As in previous days, security forces detained several protesters.

Four members of one family sentenced by court

On November 3, the Tbilisi City Court found 72-year-old Ioseb Kheoshvili, one of those detained near the parliament building on October 30, guilty of disobeying a police officer and blocking the roadway. Judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced Kheoshvili to a fine of 5,000 lari (approximately $1,850), InterPressNews reports.

On the same day, the city court found artist Lado Tsibakhashvili guilty of committing an administrative offense – blocking the roadway on Rustaveli Avenue. Judge Nino Yenukidze sentenced him to eight days of administrative arrest, the publication reports.

In turn, Judge Tornike Kochkiani sentenced Lado Tsibakhashvili's brother, Giga Tsibakhashvili, to eight days of arrest for blocking the road, Tbilisi Life reports.

The brothers' mother, teacher Manana Javashili, was sentenced to one day of arrest on a similar charge. The same judge, Kochkiani, sentenced the brothers' aunt, Eka Javashvili, a teacher with 40 years of experience, to a fine of 5,000 lari for blocking a road.

The prosecutor's office also demanded that Eka Javashvili be remanded in custody, but the woman's lawyer presented the court with a certificate stating that Eka Javashvili has the status of a person with disabilities.

We are being portrayed as dangerous criminals

Giga Tsibakhashvili confirmed in court that he participated in the protests. "Yes, I went out onto the road, I thought it was the right thing to do, and I went out. I saw my mother out, and I went out to support her. I don't think what's happening in the country is normal... For some trivial reason, simply because the authorities don't like it, they first jail us for administrative offenses, and then for criminal ones... They portray us as dangerous criminals. I did what I did because I think it was the right thing to do," he was quoted as saying.

Zurab Menteshashvili arrested in criminal case

71-year-old Zurab Menteshashvili, arrested for repeatedly blocking a road, has been remanded in custody by court order. This was requested by prosecutor Maia Zhvania, who stated that Menteshashvili could commit a "new crime," destroy evidence, or abscond from the investigation.

For his part, lawyer Jano Chkadua argued that blocking a road is not such a dangerous act to society that it warrants criminal prosecution. "This is a mechanism of punishment not only against Menteshashvili, but also against those people who are standing on Rustaveli Avenue today," he is quoted as saying in the publication.

Key points about the persecution of protesters in Georgia

As a reminder, in October, after the adoption of amendments to the laws, security forces began mass detentions of protesters on Rustaveli Avenue. Most of them are accused of blocking the avenue and obstructing traffic.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. They have held daily protests on Rustaveli Avenue. Security forces have violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. More than a thousand people have been subjected to administrative prosecution.