Latest news with #ZugdidiCityHall
Civil.ge
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Activist Jailed for Five Days Over 'Insult' in Facebook Comment
On July 9, Zugdidi District Court sent activist Rosto Zarandia to five days in administrative detention over a Facebook comment that Judge Irakli Abshilava ruled 'insulted' Zugdidi City Hall employee Magdalina Todua. In the comment, Zarandia called her 'Tvinge' and 'Poncho,' words in the Megrelian language, spoken in Georgia's western Samegrelo region, meaning 'stupid.' The case marks the first known instance of detention for an 'insult' on social media, while dozens of Georgian Dream critics, including opposition politicians, journalists, and activists, have been fined for similar acts. In February, the Georgian Dream parliament made insulting public officials and civil servants an administrative offense, one that court practice has shown also applies to social media activities. The case comes amid a continued crackdown on GD government critics, who are being fined or jailed for days for a number of controversial acts. Another citizen, Diana Gogoladze, on June 24 was fined GEL 2,500 (about USD 920) over a Facebook comment directed at a police officer, which the Tbilisi City Court also deemed was an 'insult.' In one of the most recent cases, on July 7, activist Alki Kordzaia was sent to five days in detention over a verbal confrontation with police officer Bidzina Zhamerashvili. Kordzaia confronted him in public, calling him 'shameless' and 'disgraceful.' Zhamerashvili is believed to have given false testimony in the case of 21-year-old activist Mate Devidze, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for allegedly assaulting police officers. Also Read: This post is also available in: ქართული
OC Media
09-07-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Georgian activist jailed for calling official a goose on Facebook
Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member The Zugdidi City Court has sentenced activist Rosto Zarandia to five days of administrative arrest over a Facebook comment in which he called the Zugdidi City Hall's spokesperson a goose. Zarandia made the comment about Magdalena Todua on a post commemorating the Soviet Union's brutal crackdown on a pro-independence protest on 9 April 1989. On Wednesday, he published a post on Facebook describing an overnight commemoration held by activists near the 9 April memorial in Zugdidi, where police violently dispersed activists, injuring several, in order to clear the area for an official commemoration of the event by government officials. He said he left several comments about this on posts by the city hall about the official commemorations, but that the administration kept deleting them. One of the comments he left was addressed to Todua, partially written in Mingrelian. 'You are deleting these comments now, you gave them the right to beat us so you could post this post, you goose!' the comment read. 'You are fabricating reality, you are rigging elections, you are a criminal Magdalena Todua'. 'Goose' is often used in Georgian as an insult indicating that someone is silly. Another Zugdidi activist, Mariam Sitchinava, published part of the letter written by Todua accusing Zarandia of 'threatening and insulting' her and citing this comment. 'I believe that Rosto Zarandia's actions towards me are violent. They contain signs of a crime and require immediate reaction', she wrote, demanding a probe into the 'threat and psychological pressure' against her. Zarandia has been previously fined ₾3,000($1,100) several times for spraypaining walls with messages in support of jailed journalist and founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaghlobeli, who is facing up to seven years in jail for slapping Batumi Police Chief Irakli Dgebuadze. Zarandia is not the first person to have been remanded to administrative detention or to be given a fine for comments or posts on Facebook. Georgian Dream adopted new legislative amendments in February increasing administrative detention periods for attacking officials and police, including with verbal insults and insults made on social media. Over 20 people have been either fined or sentenced to administrative detention for Facebook posts up as of early July.
