GEORGIA: New Restrictions on Demonstrations & more – 11th Dec 2025

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 11th of December twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

In our previous episode, we covered a BBC investigation, which alleged that Georgian authorities used the forbidden WWI-era chemical Camite against protesters in November of last year. This week, on Tuesday, the 9th, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze demanded an apology from the BBC and the British government.

Despite current and former police officials issuing contradictory statements days after the investigation was published, Kobakhidze said that State Security Forces actually used chlorobenzylidine malononitrile and propylene glycol solution in the water cannons, substances he says caused no serious harm. He emphasized that only five people sought treatment for mild symptoms and quickly went home the same day. Because of this, Kobakhidze declared the matter was now closed. However, he is still planning to sue the BBC, first with the UK regulator, Ofcom, and then potentially in court.

Next up, on Sunday, the 7th, the far-right political party Alt-Info held a protest against a United Arab Emirates investment project called Eagle Hills. They say people will not allow an Arab settlement in the country. Christian clergy members were also present during the protests.

The core issue is a massive, 6.6 billion dollar project that gives the developer vast stretches of land under a contract that the government keeps secret. Critics say the plan creates two settlements, one in Tbilisi, another near Batumi, western Georgia, which will mostly serve Arab tourists.

Ecologists particularly worry that the Tbilisi site will destroy the capital’s last untouched river-bank forest, which acts as a crucial green zone. Experts warn that the project will strain Tbilisi’s infrastructure and drastically change the local demography, causing major long-term problems.

Speaking of protests, on Tuesday, the 9th, the ruling party passed new protest restrictions, making demonstrations harder to organize.

The new law makes two major changes. First, organizers must now notify the Police five days before holding a protest that might block any public street or walkway. Second, intentionally blocking pedestrian walking areas, while there is enough space for protesters not to do so, has become an offense.

The police can order organizers to move the demonstration, and failure to comply may lead to administrative arrests of up to twenty days. Anyone who violates these rules repeatedly now faces criminal responsibility.

On Tuesday, the 9th, on International Anti-Corruption Day, the NGO Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) published an assessment of the country's twenty twenty-five corruption landscape.

TI Georgia reports that the process of state capture is complete and the country now operates as a kleptocracy. The organization says that the inner circle of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling party, holds only a simulated fight against corruption while high-level corruption remains systemic.

TI Georgia notes that the government is actively dismantling the Anti-Corruption Bureau and has banned state cooperation with civil society, which they call a direct attack on anti-corruption efforts. The organization added that the country is ignoring international anti-corruption obligations.

On Tuesday, the 9th, Shalva Papuashvili, the Parliament chair, spoke about NATO in an interview with state propaganda channel Rustavi 2, saying that NATO's open-door policy resembles a carrot hanging in front of a donkey — the animal can never actually reach the food.

He demanded a clear answer from the Western partners on whether the open door is a real opportunity or merely a tool to manipulate Georgian policy. He also highlighted the tragedy of Ukraine, which pays in blood for the right to NATO membership.

For context, Georgia's Constitution says that all constitutional bodies must take every measure to ensure the country's full integration into NATO and the EU.

In other news. The ruling party is fast-tracking changes to the Law on Higher Education, drastically overhauling how universities receive funding.

The most significant change is that starting in twenty twenty-six, students enrolling in private universities will no longer receive state grants or government financial assistance. However, this will not affect students who are already receiving them.

Under the new model, tuition at government-founded state universities will become completely free for new Bachelor's and Master's students. The government will also take on new powers, including determining student enrollment quotas based on labor market needs and establishing specific educational programs that universities can implement. Officials say the goal is to align education better with state priorities.

On Monday, the 8th, the Ministry of Economy announced they are letting a one-time shipment of fuel pass from Azerbaijan to Armenia through Georgia free of charge.

Since Armenia and Azerbaijan have a long history of conflict, this fuel transit is a sign of warming relations and trade progress between the two countries, which could make the South Caucasus region far more stable.

This move comes after some Azerbaijani media outlets recently said that Tbilisi was trying to charge a huge fee to use the railway. However, Prime Minister Kobakhidze instructed Georgian Railways to organize free transit, saying Georgia is a reliable partner supporting peace and cooperation in the region.

On Thursday, the 11th, Israeli media reported that several Knesset members canceled their planned visit to Georgia after receiving information about a potential terrorist threat.

The lawmakers were planning to attend the Israel Week conference organized by the Israel-Georgia Chamber of Commerce on the 13th and 14th of December. The meeting was intended to discuss business support for Israel and anti-hatred campaigns.

Itzik Moshe, the Israel-Georgia Chamber Head, said the event will still take place, but the Knesset members will likely participate remotely.

Georgia will forgive one billion Lari, over 350 million dollars, in accumulated penalties and fines owed by energy sector companies.

On Wednesday, the 10th, PM Kobakhidze said these debts block the development of the energy system and all companies involved in renewable energy projects will benefit from this debt relief, removing a significant financial barrier to new investments.

However, if companies fail to meet new, updated project deadlines, they must pay both the newly accrued fines and forgiven penalties.

On Wednesday, the 10th, independent new outlet OC Media reported that Davit Kukhalashvili, husband of Georgia’s new Ambassador to the US, Tamar Taliashvili, founded and manages a Moscow law firm called DTK Partners. This firm specializes in helping Russian clients navigate and avoid sanctions and asset freezes imposed by the US and the EU. Kukhalashvili removed his profile from the firm’s website shortly after his wife’s appointment.

Radio Free Europe published an investigation, saying that the country might be on the verge of a bird flu outbreak, which is already causing a shortage of eggs in stores.

Local experts say that the current virus strain is rarely transmitted to humans and is usually not even deadly to chickens, but it dramatically reduces their ability to lay eggs, sometimes by almost half, and affects egg quality.

The virus has hit most farms in Eastern Georgia, pushing the country close to a major outbreak. Local companies, which supply nearly all of Georgia's eggs, are now trying to cover the massive deficit by importing eggs from Turkey and Armenia. Veterinarians say both authorities and the Poultry Association acted too slowly, allowing the virus to spread widely.

Closing this edition, on Monday, the 8th, the monthly journal Geopolitics published an article by Sergi Kapanadze titled Five Minutes from Dictatorship, which provides an in-depth analysis of the dramatic changes Georgia has experienced in the past few years.

The author says Georgia is transforming from a Western-allied reformer country into an authoritarian state aligned with the Kremlin. This regime is cracking down on all forms of critical voices and opposition parties with a ferocity and speed that was unimaginable just a couple of years ago. Kapanadze also talks about the failure of Western sanctions to produce any meaningful result to stop democratic backsliding and discusses financial leverage the West can use to save Georgia’s fledgling democracy.

Want to read the full article? Link in the show notes.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Nakhvamdis!