Brussels – The Georgian people are making history, marking the first 50 days of protests on 16 January against Georgian Dream’s slide into authoritarianism. Their demands—free and fair elections, the release of political prisoners, and the non-recognition of the government by Western partners—have become the rallying cries driving them to the streets for almost two consecutive months. This relentless determination persists despite the wave of violence.
“After sanctions were imposed on Ivanishvili, an escalation of repression was expected. It’s the usual response of authoritarian regimes,” Georgian constitutional lawyer and professor David Zedelashvili told The New Union Post. While the European Union is still working on its restrictive measure, the U.S. imposed sanctions on pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili—the founder of Georgian Dream—under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions scheme on 27 December. This indicates that his actions, along with those of the ruling party, “have eroded democratic institutions, enabled human rights abuses, and curbed the exercise of fundamental freedoms,” while leaving the country “vulnerable to Russia.”
Since January, Tbilisi and other cities across Georgia have seen a surge in brutal violence and arbitrary detentions targeting civil society activists, journalists, and opposition politicians. Among the victims is journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli—founder of the independent outlet Batumelebi—who faces up to seven years in prison following a minor altercation with police. On 14 January, former Prime Minister and For Georgia party founder Giorgi Gakharia was attacked by several men in a hotel lobby in Batumi. “Georgian resistance has remained resilient until now, but the stakes and uncertainty for both sides are skyrocketing,” Zedelashvili explains.
This is why it is crucial to understand what might unfold in the coming weeks in Tbilisi. “At this point, no clear prognosis of the outcome can be made,” Zedelashvili warns. While “the regime has framed this standoff as a zero-sum game, the resistance is still coming to terms with accepting this reality and acting accordingly.” In other words, “nothing short of the complete collapse of the Ivanishvili regime will save the Georgian people.”
From Brussels, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stressed that the violence perpetrated against peaceful protesters, opposition representatives, civil society organisations, and journalists is “completely unacceptable“. According to EEAS spokesperson Anitta Hipper, “there must be consequences for the officials involved in these illegal actions,” as the involvement of Georgian Dream politicians in the attack on Gakharia “is shocking,” she added.
Two months of non-stop protests in Georgia
One month after the controversial elections on 26 October—marred by electoral fraud, as denounced by President Salomé Zourabichvili, opposition parties, and civil society—Georgian Dream’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his government will not put “the opening of accession negotiations with the EU on the agenda before the end of 2028.” During this period, Georgian Dream’s government also plans to “reject any EU budget support grants.”
The decision has sparked a wave of strong protests from the citizens, who are overwhelmingly pro-EU and consider the departure from the European family as a theft of their future. Since 28 November, protests have been taking place every night not only in Tbilisi but almost in all cities in Georgia against the “illegitimate government.”
Particularly during the first weeks of demonstrations, peaceful protesters have been facing increasing violence from the special police forces, who also used water cannons mixed with pepper spray to disperse the crowd, while protesters organised themselves to resist through barricades and fireworks. On December 4, a wave of unprecedented and violent arrests took place in private homes and offices of opposition politicians and protest leaders. Nika Gvaramia, a leader of Coalition 4 Change, was physically assaulted by masked men while demanding the formal explanations for the police raid on the offices of the main opposition coalition.
Meanwhile, the institutional crisis has deepened. Under the 2017 constitutional reform, the President of the Republic is selected by an electoral college of 300 members (150 MPs and 150 representatives of regional and local administrations). Georgian Dream nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili—a former footballer and leader of the far-right party People’s Power—who was elected as the new de facto president on 14 December. While her term was set to end on 29 December, President Zourabichvili announced that she will remain in office until new elections are held and a “legitimate successor” is appointed, even if she chose to leave the Presidential Palace.
After a vast supra—the national traditional feast—was organised in Tbilisi on New Year’s Eve, with a long banquet stretching along Rustaveli Avenue, protests continued nightly across the country well into January. These demonstrations—including a spontaneous strike on 15 January—are defying the authorities’ expectation that protesters would eventually grow weary of taking to the streets without tangible results. Meanwhile, violence resumed, targeting members of opposition parties along with ordinary citizens.
One of the most worrying issues for Georgian civil society is the growing wave of arrests and detentions aimed at leading civil society activists and journalists. This crackdown follows amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences, signed by de facto President Kavelashvili on the first day of his term, which introduced anti-demonstration laws that severely limit freedom of assembly and expression. For instance, police are now authorised to detain individuals preventively if they suspect someone may commit a future offence, based solely on conjecture. Individuals can also be arrested to ensure their attendance in court, even if they have not refused to appear.
What is happening in Brussels
“The situation in Georgia is a stark reminder that the path to EU membership is not easy and that setbacks can happen. I deeply regret that the Georgian authorities continue to shift away from EU integration,” Commissioner Kos warned during her hearing at the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on 14 December. Although slow, Brussels’ response has been as resolute as the EU’s complex decision-making process allows.
With Hungary and Slovakia vetoing the adoption of EU sanctions in the Council, this path has become nearly impossible to pursue. However, the vast majority of Member States supports holding those responsible for the ongoing political and social crisis, as well as the violence against peaceful protesters, to account. In light of this, the European Commission has proposed suspending the visa-free regime for Georgian officials, primarily targeting members of the ruling party. The vote on the proposal in the Council is expected “by the end of January,” Commissioner Kos announced.
Moreover, the Commission has withheld “more than €100 million” intended to directly benefit the Georgian authorities, and “we are looking into further reallocations,” Kos announced. So far, “€8.5 million has been reallocated” to support civil society and independent media, while “we are ready to reallocate an additional €7 million to communication activities.” The goal, as the Commissioner for Enlargement stressed, is to “step up the response to disinformation spread by Georgian Dream’s leadership.”
Leading members of the European Parliament on Georgia—including David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs—have unequivocally stated that “President Zourabichvili is currently the only legitimate representative of the will of the Georgian people.” They also declared that “we do not recognise the results of the parliamentary elections” held on 26 October 2024, as they were “fraudulent” and “did not respect international standards for democratic elections”. As a result, “we do not recognise any decisions taken by this body.” Furthermore, Member States are “strongly encouraged” to impose personal sanctions on Ivanishvili and Kobakhidze.
