Lawyer criticises Government over ‘draconian’ legislative package

Lawyer Beka Basilaia has accused the Georgian government of deliberately restricting citizens’ ability to express dissent through street protests, calling a newly proposed legislative package “another draconian initiative.”

“This is yet another draconian legislative package, and over the past year and a half we have been witnessing the formation of dictatorial, tyrannical laws in our country. It has nothing to do with justice,” Basilaia said.

According to him, the amendments effectively criminalise public protest. “In practice, expressing protest is becoming equivalent to imprisonment. This represents criminal interference with freedom of expression. Even if the provision remains within the Code of Administrative Offences, the government plans to escalate it - if a person repeats such an administrative violation, criminal proceedings will be launched,” he explained.

Basilaia added that such measures demonstrated the authorities’ intention to suppress civic activism and silence dissenting voices. “This is a government that obstructs people from expressing their protest in the streets,” he said.