Protesters in Tbilisi supported the arrested activist Gelashvili.
Participants in the protest on Rustaveli Avenue on the 532nd day of continuous protests expressed support for the arrested activists and demanded their release.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on May 12, the 531st day of continuous protests, protesters in Tbilisi congratulated Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, on her birthday. In 2025, she was sentenced to two years in prison for the attack on Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze.
Supporters of Georgia's European integration, carrying national, EU, and US flags, gathered outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue for the 532nd consecutive evening, Publika reports.
Some activists held signs reading: "Well-fed government for a hungry people," "Give the children medicine," and "Elene should be standing here today, but she was sent to jail for two days." "The collapse of the regime," "Freedom for Elene Gelashvili," "We are being arrested for standing here," follow from publications by photographer Mo Se and Georgian media on Facebook*.
Today, police detained student Elene Gelashvili right in the courtyard of the Agrarian University building for participating in a protest on the sidewalk. Four officers arrived to detain her. Tbilisi City Court Judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced her to two days in jail, Pirveli TV reports.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused Gelashvili of standing on the sidewalk in front of the parliament building on December 18 of last year, thereby obstructing pedestrian traffic. The student called the police, reporting that the court had ordered her arrest, and expected to be detained. During her arrest, the student's friends asked the police, "When you started working in the police, did you ever imagine that you would ever detain a student for standing on the sidewalk?"
Tbilisi City Court Judge Tornike Kapanadze also sentenced biologist Nino Sagiridze to two days of administrative detention for participating in a protest last December. She was detained this morning.
Today, a court fined active protester Anuka Gamsakhurdia 3,000 lari (approximately $1,100) for critical posts on social media. The activist herself stated that she does not intend to pay the fine.
Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "Key Points on the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".