Georgia's ruling party has introduced sweeping new penalties aimed at demonstrators following violent clashes in the capital earlier this month.
The Georgian Dream party announced the measures on Oct. 13, signaling yet another tough crackdown on dissent as peaceful daily protests bringing the central Rustaveli Avenue to a standstill continue to rattle the government, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.
According to local media, new proposed legislation would introduce criminal penalties for protest offenses and impose harsh restrictions on members of opposition parties.
According to local outlet Civil Georgia, under the draft rules protesters caught covering their faces, carrying prohibited or intoxicating substances, blocking roads, or setting up “temporary constructions” at rallies could face administrative detention for 15-20 days.
Participation in any rally ordered to disperse by the Interior Ministry could be punishable by up to 60 days of detention.
Possession of “weapons, pyrotechnics, or objects used to inflict harm on the life and health of others” could similarly carry punishment in the form of administrative detention of up to 60 days.
Martin Jaeger, the head of Germany’s BND spy service, told lawmakers that Russia was determined to expand its sphere of influence further westward into Europe.
Repeat offenders could face up to one year in prison, with third and subsequent offenses punishable by two years behind bars.
Hundreds of protesters have previously been penalised for taking to the streets with extortionate 5,000 lari ($1,835) fines for blocking the roads.
In September, OC Media reported that Georgian courts had begun jailing participants of the daily Rustaveli protests for not paying these fines.
It comes after Georgia’s Interior Ministry announced a spate of 36 arrests of individuals connected to the Oct. 4 anti-government protest in Tbilisi, according to OC Media.
The protest had been pitched as a “peaceful revolution” which would unseat the increasingly authoritarian ruling party and bring an end to over 300 days of daily protests against the government.
After an address by since-jailed opera singer and activist Paata Burchuladze, who instructed the huge rally to “take back power into the hands of the people,” a fringe group broke off from the protest and attempted to storm the presidential residence Orbeliani Palace.
They tore down the gates and surged into the courtyard before being repelled by riot police, who used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas to keep the crowds at bay.
The Georgian government responded by calling the unrest an attempted coup which is blamed on domestic opposition it claims was aided by “foreign intelligence services”, specifically Brussels.
Kyiv Post previously reported that on Oct. 9, a Georgian court sentenced award-winning poet and activist Zviad Ratiani to two years in prison for slapping a police officer in the face in solidarity with jailed journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.
