A Georgian protester, Pridon Bubuteishvili, has been sentenced to five years in prison for his actions during a rally against the controversial Agents’ Law. The verdict was delivered on Monday by Judge Zviad Sharadze at Tbilisi City Court.
Bubuteishvili was accused of injuring a firefighter and damaging the Parliament’s gate by throwing stones during the demonstration on 1 May 2024. Prosecutors said the damage to the gate amounted to 500 GEL. He faced charges under the Georgian Criminal Code for property damage and assault on a government official, which carry combined potential sentences of up to 12 years.
The court found him guilty on both counts, rejecting any possibility of a plea deal.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that nine people were detained following protests against the Agents’ Law. Today, two of them, Omar Okribelashvili and Saba Meparishvili, accepted plea agreements. They will serve 10 months in prison for damaging Parliament property during the same rally.
The Agents’ Law, formally titled the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, was introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party in early 2024. The legislation mandates organizations receiving foreign funding to register as “agents of foreign influence.”
The law has been widely criticized by civil society groups and international bodies, including the European Union, the United States, and the Council of Europe, for undermining democratic freedoms.
President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the legislation in 2024, but her veto was overridden by the parliamentary majority in late May of that year. The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, condemned the law for its “fundamental flaws,” stating that it violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
The commission’s findings highlighted breaches of rights to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and protection against discrimination.
The passage of the Agents’ Law sparked widespread protests across Georgia, with demonstrators accusing the government of emulating restrictive laws seen in authoritarian states. Despite these demonstrations and international pressure, the government has stood firm on the legislation.
