From Avlabari to parliament: new route for pro-European marches in Tbilisi. Video blog "Protests in Georgia"
Protest march in Tbilisi, Avlabari
The regular Saturday pro-European march took place in Tbilisi on July 25 along a new route, from Avlabari Square to the Government Administration building and then to parliament.
The route was changed because major reconstruction work has begun on Rustaveli Avenue, where marches and protests calling for Georgia’s return to the path of European integration had been held for nearly two years.
A key demand at every march is the release of those arrested during the protests. The main message of this week’s march was: “No to the Russian occupation.”
For more than a year and half – since November 2024 – continuous protests have been taking place in Georgia, with demonstrators demanding that the country return to the path of European integration. Every evening thousands, and often tens of thousands, gather in Tbilisi and several other cities. Over this time dozens of participants have been detained, many have faced criminal charges, and some have been sentenced to prison terms.
For the first time in the history of independent Georgia, the country has up to 150 prisoners of conscience, including women. Among them is Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of the popular outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti. In 2025 she was sentenced to two years in prison for slapping a police officer.
Protesters demand the release of all political prisoners, new parliamentary elections – as they do not recognize the results of the 2024 vote – and the repeal of all anti-democratic laws adopted over the past two years.
To suppress the protests, the ruling Georgian Dream party has increasingly tightened repression against civil society and the media. However, protests in various forms continue.
News in Georgia
