Day: February 3, 2026
The open trial against Armenian citizens, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Gukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others, accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, preparing and waging aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws of war, terrorism, financing terrorism, forcibly seizing and retaining power, and other serious offenses, will continue on February 5.
Georgia’s disputed parliament convened on February 3 to open the spring session, with several controversial bills and issues on the agenda, including changes to the laws on general and higher education, amendments to further restrict foreign grants, revisions to the Legal Aid Service, and the creation of a temporary commission on food, medicine, and fuel prices.
The XI convocation of Georgian Parliament, formed based on the widely disputed October 26, 2024, general elections, remains contested. Three of the four opposition parties that crossed the threshold are absent from the legislature, while the 11 MPs from the For Georgia party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia entered after breaking the boycott last fall. Georgian Dream, with 89 MPs, dominates the legislature.
MPs from Georgian Dream, its spinoff groups, and the For Georgia party opened the plenary session amid a small rally at the rear entrance of parliament, where citizens protested controversial bills, including planned changes to the laws on general and higher education and the grants law.
The proposed amendments to the laws on general and higher education are being fast-tracked and will, among others, set full general education at 11 years, with a 12th year as an optional extension, and make school uniforms mandatory at the primary level. For higher education, the amendments will streamline the “reorganization” of state-funded universities by allowing the government to set the goals, structure, and timeline of reorganizations and appoint temporary administrative bodies.
The amendments to the Law on Grants and related legislation will broaden the definition of “grant” requiring government approval, impose criminal liability and jail terms for violations, prosecute party leaders receiving foreign funding, criminalize “external lobbying,” and introduce new restrictions on political party members and entrepreneurs.
Another legislative change will make the Legal Aid Service, a public body established in 2007 that provides free legal assistance to citizens and is currently accountable only to Parliament, subordinate to the prime minister.
In addition, MPs will establish a temporary commission on food, medicine, and fuel prices, to be chaired by Georgian Dream MP Shota Berekashvili, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze first raised concerns in December that high prices may result from cartel-like coordination among retailers, while the issue is also being studied separately by the State Security Service of Georgia and a special government commission.
Also Read:
- 02/02/2026 – CoE Commissioner Calls On Georgian Parliament to Reject New Funding Restrictions ‘Stifling Civil Society’
- 29/01/2026 – Georgian Technical University to Be Merged with Tbilisi State University
- 28/01/2026 – Opinion | Georgia’s University Reform Is Not a Neutral Initiative. It’s a Political Act
- 02/12/2025 – Georgian Dream Proposes General Education Reform Anchored in Identity, Uniformity
- 17/10/2025 – Kobakhidze Unveils University Reform Concept As Critics Worry About Repression