Day: March 21, 2026

Shalva Esartia, an anti-government protester in the western Georgian town of Zugdidi, has been sent to pretrial detention and faces up to one year in jail, as he is charged with repeated, third-time “disobeying a lawful police order” in a criminal case his supporters say is “absurd” and a classic example of “repression.”

Esartia was detained on March 17 after police stopped him in a car, accusing him of failing to yield to a pedestrian. Denying the allegations, he was detained and initially charged administratively, but the charge was reclassified as a criminal offense the following day. According to Publika, Esartia had previously been charged twice for “disobeying a police order,” first in January 2025 and again in December 2025. Repeating the act a third time turns it into a criminal offense under legislative amendments passed by the disputed Parliament in October 2025.

Zugdidi court Judge Ekaterine Bebia sent Esartia to pretrial detention, non-governmental organization Civil Solidarity Fund said on March 20, calling the case “absurd” and saying the criminal prosecution of the activist over what it appears to consider to be a minor offense, is “targeted” and aimed at “locking him up for expressing a different opinion and taking an active stance.”

“This is a classic repression and persecution of an activist!” the group said, demanding his “immediate release.”

The arrest comes amid ongoing protests in Georgia against the Georgian Dream government, which has responded with a series of legislative acts widely seen as repressive and aimed at suppressing the resistance movement.

Also Read:

• 23/01/2026 – First Protester Sent to Detention in ‘Sidewalk’ Protest Case
• 10/12/2025 – Disputed Parliament Tightens Protest Rules, Extends Restrictions to Pedestrian Areas
• 01/11/2025 – Protester Faces Up to One Year in Jail After Police Arrests Him for ‘Repeat Road-Blocking’
• 30/08/2025 – Repression in Numbers

A series of events have been held across the Azerbaijan Army to mark the Novruz and Ramadan holidays, in line with the annual action plan approved by the Minister of Defence.

Iran has fired missiles towards the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, according to US officials, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions.

The global energy market has spent much of the past two decades fixated on the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, while a quieter and potentially more unpredictable risk is emerging closer to Europe’s doorstep. The Black Sea, long regarded as a secondary theatre in global energy logistics, is rapidly becoming a focal point of concern as geopolitical tensions, asymmetric warfare and logistical fragilities converge.