The Georgian Interior Ministry fined the head of the OSCE for participating in protests

Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Elina Valtonen was fined 5,000 lari for participating in a protest on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi.

As the " Caucasian Knot " reported , on October 14, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, spoke with protesters outside the Georgian parliament, who blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue for the 321st day in a row. 

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs fined the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen 5,000 lari (approximately $1,835) for "blocking the road" on Rustaveli Avenue, Interpressnews reported, citing the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

By participating in the illegal assembly, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finnish Foreign Minister effectively demonstrated that the Georgian state means nothing to her, stated Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

According to him, the fact that the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the Finnish Foreign Minister, came to Rustaveli Avenue demonstrated that there is no rules-based international order, and that this view is only being imposed on small and weak countries.

"She traded her reputation as the current OSCE chairperson for one 39-second video," the agency quoted him as saying.

The Finnish Foreign Minister was in Tbilisi on an official visit on October 14-15. On October 15, the government announced that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze cancelled a meeting with Valtonen because she participated in an "illegal protest" and made "false statements" about Georgia, according to Novosti Gruzia.

It is still unknown whether Valtonen was given a fine for the administrative violation and whether she managed to pay it before leaving Georgia, the agency notes.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024.Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over a thousand people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The  "Caucasian Knot" has compiled materials on the parliamentary elections and subsequent protests on the " Elections in Georgia 2024 " page.

On October 4, municipal elections were held in all municipalities of Georgia. Candidates from the ruling Georgian Dream party  were elected mayors  in all 64 cities where elections were held, receiving 100% of the vote in 26 of them. These elections will determine the political balance in Georgia for the coming years. The next major elections in the country are scheduled for 2028, making this vote crucial for both the government and the opposition, according to the Caucasian Knot report " Municipal Elections in Georgia, October 4, 2025. "

The "Caucasian Knot" is publishing materials about the recent municipal elections and protests by opposition supporters on its thematic page, " Georgia: Elections amid Protests ."

Translated automatically via Google translate fromhttps://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416368