Nino Saghiridze, a photographer and molecular biologist, was sent to a detention facility for several days for protesting on sidewalks. Her detention is part of a wave of rulings under new laws restricting protests in pedestrian zones.

Nino Saghiridze, who had contributed to Civil.ge as a photographer in the past, was among the demonstrators recently sent to several days in custody for protesting on sidewalks, as judges continue to deliver detention rulings under laws that extended protest restrictions to pedestrian zones in December. Judge Tornike Kapanadze delivered the ruling against Saghiridze on May 13. A molecular biologist with a passion for photography, Saghiridze has reportedly been taken to the Telavi detention facility in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region. Over several months in 2025, Saghiridze covered the protests, providing photo material from the field and documenting regional campaigns led by family members of detained protesters. Her detention comes as cases continue to pile up of protesters being sent behind bars under the stricter protest rules that took effect in December 2025, introducing detention and eventual criminal sentences for “obstructing” pedestrian movement, among others. The offense carries a maximum punishment of 15 days’ detention. While most cases date back to the initial weeks of the law’s enforcement in the winter months, judges continue to deliver rulings to this day. In a separate ruling on the same day, Judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced Elene Gelashvili, a student at Tbilisi’s Agriculture University, to two days of administrative detention for rallying on a sidewalk on Rustaveli Avenue. Gelashvili was detained after attending a lecture on campus. Video taken on the site showed students and several lecturers applauding her and thanking her “for fighting for the homeland” as she was handcuffed and taken into a detention vehicle by police. Another protest participant, Natia Chelidze, was sentenced to two days of administrative detention on May 14. Judge Tornike Kapanadze found her guilty of obstructing the road outside Parliament during the protest on January 31. Also Read: 23/01/2026 – First Protester Sent to Detention in ‘Sidewalk’ Protest Case 22/01/2026 – In First ‘Sidewalk’ Protest Ruling, Judge Issues Verbal Warning This post is also available in: ქართული Protest Rustaveli Avenue Sidewalk cases Copy URL