Georgia
Georgia cracks down on pro-EU protests with crippling fines
Nadim Khmaladze has been joining thousands of fellow Georgians on the streets every evening since November, when Tbilisi’s increasingly repressive government shelved EU membership talks.
The 60-year-old rights activist said he was “ready to face police violence” when he first joined the anti-government rallies in Tbilisi, but he never imagined that standing on the street for a few hours could cost him more than 22 months’ salary.
Three months into the protests, he received a summons: a total of 45,000 lari (around $16,000) in fines for briefly blocking traffic along Tbilisi’s central avenue.
“The government is using Russian-style methods to abolish freedom of assembly in Georgia,” he told AFP.
Khmaladze is one of thousands of Georgian protesters facing crippling fines for taking to the streets.
Prominent writer Mikheil Tsikhelashvili, who returned to Georgia last year from emigration in Portugal to fight against the ruling Georgian Dream party’s “pro-Russian policies,” has been attending protests daily.
He says he and his girlfriend were each fined the equivalent of $1,850, in what he called a “financial terror aimed at extinguishing popular anger.”
“I took the case to court,” he said, adding however that he had “little hope in Georgia’s justice system, which is fully controlled by the ruling party.”
– Unprecedented protests –
Braving bitter frost, protesters continue to rally daily in Tbilisi and cities across the Black Sea nation, in what has become an unprecedented protest movement against Georgian Dream’s perceived democratic backsliding and growing rapprochement with Moscow.
The mass protests first erupted following disputed parliamentary elections in October, which the opposition rejected as rigged in favour of Georgian Dream.
The movement intensified after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s November 28 announcement that his cabinet would not seek to open EU membership talks with Brussels until 2028 — a move that shocked many.
Georgia is an official candidate for membership in the 27-nation bloc, a bid supported by more than 80 percent of the population, according to opinion polls, and enshrined in the country’s constitution.
During the protests’ initial phase, security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators and made hundreds of arrests.
Georgia’s top human rights official, ombudsman Levan Ioseliani, and Amnesty International have accused police of “torturing” detainees — a charge the government denies.
Authorities have since resorted to harsh financial penalties and increased surveillance, deploying facial recognition technology to identify protesters and issue hefty fines.
– ‘Slowly strangling’ –
“After the bare violence proved ineffective, the government turned to intimidation — televised police raids on activists’ homes and anonymous threats over the phone,” Salome Khvadagiani, the director of Liberty Institute rights group, told AFP.
“When that too failed to suppress the protest, the government moved to slowly strangling them — financially,” she added.
In December, fines for blocking roads were increased tenfold, to 5,000 laris ($1,850), leaving thousands facing “absolutely disproportionate financial sanctions” or, alternatively, 15 days in prison.
In January alone, the total amount of fines surpassed $6.5 million in the country of four million people, where the average monthly salary is some $740, according to the For Georgia opposition party.
The interior ministry said it only issues fines “when the number of demonstrators doesn’t justify blocking the road” and a rally can be held without disrupting traffic.
To enforce these measures, authorities have expanded surveillance capabilities, including the deployment of facial recognition technology.
Rights groups said the government has drastically increased the number of high-resolution surveillance cameras in the streets of Tbilisi.
The widespread use of “facial recognition and remote biometric recognition technologies facilitates discriminatory targeted surveillance,” said GYLA rights watchdog. “These practices undermine fundamental rights.”
– ‘We will never back down’ –
In 2021, Amnesty International, along with several other international rights groups, called for “an outright ban on uses of facial recognition and remote biometric recognition technologies that enable mass surveillance and discriminatory targeted surveillance.”
Khvadagiani of the Liberty Institute said the “campaign of mass and disproportional financial sanction has caused protests turnout to dwindle significantly over the last month.”
But demonstrators are now “adapting to the situation” she said, filing court complaints that have overwhelmed the judicial system, “significantly delaying the enforcement of financial sanctions or even making them unenforceable.”
“The government can’t scare us,” said Khmaladze, who fought for nearly two years on Ukraine’s frontlines against invading Russian troops.
“We are taking to the streets for Georgia’s democracy and will never back down,” he said.
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![Kids and the \](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/078e921ab31bb7c3c3b80aee34b01e5951967699/c=0-299-4926-3082/local/-/media/2017/12/13/Burlington/Burlington/636487782965029025-BUR20171213homeless4.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=1200 "Kids and the \")
GULF COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The Gulf County Sheriff’s Office located a missing child from Georgia Sunday.
GCSO says at 1:15 p.m., they were contacted by the Sandy Springs Police Department in Georgia about a child abduction. GCSO was given a possible location of the suspect, along with details that he was armed in a Mercedes SUV.
Officials say multiple agencies including The Gulf County Sheriff’s Office, Port Saint Joe Police Department, FWC, and Florida Highway Patrol made a felony stop on the white Mercedes SUV and found the who child, who was safe.
The suspect, 17-year-old Camilo Campagna was taken into custody on warrants out of the state of Georgia. Campagna is being charged with child pornography, aggravated child molestation, child molestation – victim between 14 and 16, possession of child pornography, possession of sexually explicit content, grooming of a minor, loitering and prowling.
Officials say he will be detained at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Bay County due to his age.
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The Georgia Bulldogs have a pretty enticing future schedule. Georgia will some of the nation’s elite college football programs over the years if things go as planned.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play Power Four schools like NC State, Louisville, Ohio State, Clemson and Florida State over the next decade. Of course, Georgia is also set to continue its annual rivalry with Georgia Tech through the 2037 season.
Georgia’s future schedule is subject to change (including the dates and locations). The biggest factor impacting UGA’s future nonconference schedule is if the SEC expands to nine conference game. The SEC currently plays eight conference games with one permanent opponent.
Georgia’s permanent SEC opponent is the Florida Gators. The Georgia-Florida schedule will be held in different locations starting in 2026 due to stadium major renovations taking place in Jacksonville.
Conference realignment can also always impact future schedules. Since this article focuses on Georgia’s future schedule, we don’t have UGA’s 2025 schedule included. If you wish to look at Georgia’s 2025 schedule, then we’ve included it below.
Georgia football’s 2025 schedule
As of late March, 2025 Georgia and the SEC don’t know the 2026 conference schedule, so Georgia’s entire future schedule revolves around nonconference games. Remember, Georgia is still guaranteed to play Florida every year.
What opponents does Georgia football have scheduled for the future?
2026 schedule
- Sept. 12: Western Kentucky (home)
- Sept. 19: Louisville Cardinals (away)
- Nov. 28: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (home)
Georgia and the SEC still have an eight-game conference schedule, so UGA could add a nonconference game in 2026 or maybe the SEC will expand to nine-game conference slate.
2027 schedule
- Sept. 4: Florida State Seminoles (away)
- Sept. 18: Louisville Cardinals (home)
- Nov. 27: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (away)
If Georgia’s schedule remains as it currently is in 2027, then the Dawgs would face three ACC opponents and (at least) 11 Power Four opponents during the regular season.
2028 schedule
- Sept. 9: Florida A&M Rattlers (home)
- Sept. 16: Florida State Seminoles (home)
- Nov. 25: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (home)
Georgia is in line to have a lot of home games in 2028. Of course, the Florida State series could be moved to a neutral site.
2029 schedule
- Sept. 15: Clemson Tigers (away)
- Nov. 24: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (away)
Clemson and Georgia are scheduled to play each other in the regular season in 2029 for the first time since the 2024 season opener. The Georgia-Clemson game could easily be moved to a neutral site.
2030 schedule
- Aug. 31: Clemson Tigers (home)
- Sept. 7: North Carolina A&T Aggies (home)
- Sept. 14: Ohio State Buckeyes (home)
- Nov. 30: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (home)
It’d be surprising to see Georgia have four nonconference home games, but man this would be a fun schedule. Ohio State has never played in Sanford Stadium.
2031 schedule
- Aug. 30: Ohio State Buckeyes (away)
- Sept. 6: Western Carolina Catamounts (home)
- Nov. 29: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (away)
UGA has also never played at Ohio State. This would be a really awesome road game for Dawgs fans and the weather in Ohio is better in the summer than in the winter, so that’s a plus.
2032 schedule
- Sept. 4: Clemson Tigers (home)
- Nov. 27: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (home)
Georgia plays its two top ACC rivals in 2032. UGA is set to play Clemson four times between 2029 and 2033.
2033 schedule
- Sept. 3: Clemson Tigers (away)
- Sept. 17: NC State Wolfpack (home)
- Nov. 26: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (away)
Georgia is scheduled to play a trio of ACC opponents in 2033. The Dawgs would probably add a non-Power Four opponent to this schedule if the SEC stays at eight conference games per season.
2034 schedule
Sept. 17: NC State Wolfpack (away)
Nov. 25: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (home)
Georgia is 6-1-1 against NC State in school history, but has not played the Wolfpack since 1973.
2035 and beyond schedules
Georgia Tech is the only team on Georgia’s future schedule beyond 2034. Georgia is scheduled to play Tech through 2037. All of UGA’s future scheduled games are according to FBSchedules.com.
Georgia Southern University’s beloved live bald eagle mascot, “Freedom,” passed away Saturday.
As an ambassador for Georgia Southern, wildlife and as a symbol of our nation, Freedom inspired thousands annually at Georgia Southern sporting events, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Savannah, commencements, community events and other appearances across the State of Georgia and the nation.
Through the Georgia Southern University Center for Wildlife Education and Lamar Q Ball, Jr. Raptor Center, individuals of all ages could visit Freedom and learn about wildlife, their care and conservation.
Freedom has been a part of the University community since 2004, when he was found knocked out of a nest in Maitland, Florida, and permanent injury to his beak prevented his release into the wild. He was acquired with the permission of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of Freedom, who soared as a symbol of Georgia Southern pride and True Blue spirit,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. “Freedom was more than a mascot; he represented strength, spirit and unity for Georgia Southern. His loss will be felt by so many in Eagle Nation.”
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