Georgia’s New Repression Strategy: €1,700 for a Few Steps on the Street

Imagine This: You peacefully join a demonstration, maybe blocking a street for a few minutes with a few dozen others—and you leave not with a sense of civic pride, but with a fine for 5,000 Lari. That’s about 1,700 euros. Welcome to Georgia in 2025, where protest is no longer a democratic right but an expensive risk.

Since the protests began on November 28, 2024, the ruling party Georgian Dream appears to have turned misdemeanor law into a financial extortion tool. On December 30, the fine for "blocking streets" was casually increased from 500 Lari (around 170 euros) to 5,000 Lari (around 1,700 euros). In Tbilisi, this is apparently called the rule of law—with a special Georgian surcharge.

It seems the government couldn’t care less whether the Ministry of Internal Affairs can even provide evidence for the alleged offenses. The main thing is that people either pay—or are terrorized. After all, nothing deters citizens more effectively than the looming threat of financial ruin.

Who Can Even Afford to Protest Anymore?

According to official figures from the Georgian Revenue Service, out of more than 1.2 million income earners in December 2024, only about 15%—roughly 185,470 people—earned 4,800 Lari (about 1,630 euros) or more per month. The rest, about 1,045,411 people, earn less—many of them significantly less.

Most common in Georgia is the income bracket between 1,200–2,400 Lari (around 400–820 euros), where around 315,000 people fall. Meanwhile, over 290,000 people survive on less than 200 euros a month.

But hey—for the government, these are probably just "statistical collateral damages" on the path to authoritarian bliss.

Venice Commission and OSCE? Oh, Them Again!

As so often in Georgian legislation, international recommendations were once again elegantly ignored. The Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR diplomatically reminded Georgia that sanctions against participants in assemblies must be "necessary, proportionate, and non-discriminatory." But what is proportionate in Georgia these days?

A tenfold increase in fines seems, at least according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, perfectly in line with "normal democratic practice."

No Discretion, No Mercy – Justice in Service of the State Treasury

A particularly telling example comes from a ruling by Kutaisi City Court on January 26, 2025. Nine demonstrators were each fined 5,000 Lari for holding a vigil in front of Judge Malkhaz Okropiridze’s house. Among them was teacher Lado Afkhazava, who politely informed the court that he simply could not afford the fine. His plea for leniency? Dismissed. Georgian justice apparently recognizes no poverty—only price lists.

The Social Justice Center, which legally represents six of those affected, rightly criticizes the situation: the legal regulation is not only disproportionate but also constitutionally questionable, as it does not allow judges to consider individual circumstances. Instead, there’s a rigid fine structure, reminiscent more of Soviet-style automatism than of modern rule of law.

Conclusion: Financial Bludgeons Instead of Police Batons?

While authoritarian regimes in the past often relied on physical violence, Georgia seems to have opted for a new method: the "financial bludgeon." This way, protests can be conveniently eradicated—without disturbing the media with images of police brutality.

The message is clear: If you dare to challenge the system, you won’t be beaten—you’ll simply be ruined.