Mélissa Cornet

Since the disputed elections of October 2024, protesters have gathered daily in front of the Georgian parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi. These days they wear creative face coverings: costume masks, broad-brimmed hats, lace bandeaux, disposable Covid masks and sunglasses. Joining the protests now carries a steep price. Facial recognition technology has led to fines for ‘blocking the street’ of up to five thousand laris, about £1350. Hundreds of people have been arrested and are awaiting trial for ‘organising, leading or participating in collective violence’ or, sometimes, ‘assaulting a police officer’. They could spend the next couple of years in prison.