Tbilisi City Court sent Tamar Lortkipanidze, a protester who climbed onto the roof of a police car during the October 22 rally on Rustaveli Avenue, to pre-trial detention, as she faces four to seven years in jail after prosecutors alleged that she damaged the car and punched a taxi driver.
Lortkipanidze was charged with “violence causing physical pain” under Article 126 and with an “attack on a police officer’s vehicle in connection with the officer’s official duties” under Article 353 prima of the Criminal Code of Georgia. However, the Interior Ministry had accused her of aggravated “hooliganism” on the day of her arrest.
“It was established that on the evening of October 22, 2025, on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi […] the accused struck a taxi driver in the facial area, as a result of which the victim sustained an injury,” the Prosecutor’s Office said on October 24, adding that Lortkipanidze climbed onto the police car, and repeatedly kicked it, causing 3,300 GEL (approximately USD 1215 USD) in damage.
Video recordings from the scene circulated on social media showing a woman walking on top of a police car.
The incident unfolded during a rally near the Parliament building, where demonstrators have gathered nightly for more than 330 consecutive days as part of ongoing pro-EU, anti-government protests. The October 22 gathering was held in solidarity with journalists after jailed reporter Mzia Amaghlobeli was awarded the Sakharov Prize and following the recent arrests of three opposition Formula TV journalists for “blocking the road.”
Up to 30 protesters were detained that same night as police cleared the avenue of demonstrators. All except Lortkipanidze were detained for administrative offenses.
The latest arrests follow the Georgian Dream parliament’s adoption of stricter protest-related rules last week, as the ruling party pledged to end the Rustaveli demonstrations. Under the new rules, blocking roads or covering one’s face during rallies results in immediate administrative detention, while repeat offenses can lead to criminal charges carrying a penalty of up to one year in prison.
Protesters Rounded Up, Taken to Custody as Stricter Rally Laws Take Effect
Protester Who Climbed on Police Car Sent to Pre-Trial Detention, Faces Up to 7 Years in Jail
