Key developments from Georgia that bear on political imprisonment.
On 21 October, the Constitutional Court of Georgia in Batumi began hearing a lawsuit to ban the country’s main opposition parties: Unity–National Movement, the Coalition for Change (Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa), Strong Georgia (Lelo, For the People, For Freedom), the Federalists, and Gakharia for Georgia. The suit was filed in October 2025 by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which the opposition and much of the international community regard as illegitimate, and its parliamentary allies. Critics say the move is directed by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. A seven-judge panel is hearing the case, and the court has so far rejected the motions submitted by the opposition, including a request to summon Ivanishvili and other current and former officials as witnesses. European institutions have criticised the proceedings, warning that Georgia is moving closer to a one-party system. Hearings were continuing in November.
On 2 October, prisoner Giorgi Davitadze told the Tbilisi Court of Appeals that around ten guards had sexually and physically assaulted him in the de-escalation room of Rustavi Prison No. 6 in December 2025. The Special Penitentiary Service called his account a lie and released silent surveillance footage from 21 December 2025, which it said showed a routine inspection. His family says the footage is incomplete and edited, and human rights organisations called for an independent investigation, medical care for Davitadze and release of the full footage with audio. On 9 October, the Prosecutor’s Office, which rights groups say acts on the government’s instructions, closed the investigation, saying no crime had been committed and no editing of the footage was found. Other inmates at Rustavi No. 6 protested in solidarity with Davitadze, and prosecutors have since charged three of them with assaulting prison staff. Separately, 23-year-old protester Sergi Kancheli says six police officers detained him while he was out running on 27 September, took him to a cemetery, beat him, held a gun to him and attempted sexual violence. The Tbilisi Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into alleged abuse of authority by Interior Ministry staff. On 7 October, Kancheli said he had left Georgia for a safe country.
According to an analysis by Transparency International Georgia, the Georgian Communications Commission has effectively barred the independent television stations Formula and TV Pirveli from using 93 words and phrases. The terms include “regime”, “political prisoners” and “oligarch”. Over the past six months, the Commission, which is controlled by Georgian Dream, has issued seven formal reports against the two stations and imposed a series of fines. Most recently, on 1 October, it fined Formula GEL 10,000 (about €3,200), the channel’s third fine over its language. Transparency International Georgia says the Commission treats journalists’ remarks on politics as a breach of impartiality rules, and warns that this further restricts media freedom and could silence critical broadcasters altogether. The Commission accused the organisation of misleading the public with the list.
On 8 October, the European Parliament adopted another resolution critical of Georgia, on Georgian Dream’s attempts to ban opposition parties. It calls for targeted sanctions and visa bans against those responsible for the country’s democratic backsliding and names Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. It also calls for the lawsuit against the opposition to be withdrawn and for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and peaceful protesters, and raises concerns about the independence of the Constitutional Court judges who will rule on the proposed party ban and the persecution of journalists covering the crackdown on civil society. The resolution passed with 445 votes in favour, 37 against and 97 abstentions. It is not binding: sanctions would require the unanimous approval of all 27 member states in the Council of the EU.
Russia’s consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has suspended the import and sale of drinks from several Georgian producers, in a letter dated 9 October and reported by RBC on 10 October. The ban covers wine from Teliani Valley, Tbilvino and Wineman, wine and brandy from Askaneli Brothers, beer from the Georgian Beer Company, Nabeglavi mineral water and Georgian-made Coca-Cola. Moscow cites quality and safety concerns, and on 29 October Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied any political motive. Georgian officials said the basis for the ban was unclear, and observers compared it to Russia’s 2006 embargo on Georgian wine and mineral water. Russia remains a key export market: Georgia exported US$102 million worth of wine there in the first eight months of 2026. No end date for the restrictions has been given. The move comes even though Georgian Dream has spent recent years introducing repressive measures that serve the Kremlin’s interests.
MethodItems are chosen from public reporting by independent outlets and civil society groups. A brief summarises what was reported; it is not a finding by The Detained. Where a person in an item has a documented case file, it is linked.
