Protester Faces Up to One Year in Jail Under Third-Time ‘Police Disobedience’ Charge

2026-03-21 - 13:32

Shalva Esartia, an anti-government protester in the western Georgian town of Zugdidi, has been sent to pretrial detention and faces up to one year in jail, as he is charged with repeated, third-time “disobeying a lawful police order” in a criminal case his supporters say is “absurd” and a classic example of “repression.” Esartia was detained on March 17 after police stopped him in a car, accusing him of failing to yield to a pedestrian. Denying the allegations, he was detained and initially charged administratively, but the charge was reclassified as a criminal offense the following day. According to Publika, Esartia had previously been charged twice for “disobeying a police order,” first in January 2025 and again in December 2025. Repeating the act a third time turns it into a criminal offense under legislative amendments passed by the disputed Parliament in October 2025. Zugdidi court Judge Ekaterine Bebia sent Esartia to pretrial detention, non-governmental organization Civil Solidarity Fund said on March 20, calling the case “absurd” and saying the criminal prosecution of the activist over what it appears to consider to be a minor offense, is “targeted” and aimed at “locking him up for expressing a different opinion and taking an active stance.” “This is a classic repression and persecution of an activist!” the group said, demanding his “immediate release.” The arrest comes amid ongoing protests in Georgia against the Georgian Dream government, which has responded with a series of legislative acts widely seen as repressive and aimed at suppressing the resistance movement. Also Read: 23/01/2026 – First Protester Sent to Detention in ‘Sidewalk’ Protest Case 10/12/2025 – Disputed Parliament Tightens Protest Rules, Extends Restrictions to Pedestrian Areas 01/11/2025 – Protester Faces Up to One Year in Jail After Police Arrests Him for ‘Repeat Road-Blocking’ 30/08/2025 – Repression in Numbers