Zurab Menteshashvili, an active participant in Georgia’s anti-government and pro-EU protests, was released from prison on July 31 after serving a nine-month sentence for “repeated road blockage.” Menteshashvili, 61, was the first protester to be arrested and convicted under the provision. He spent seven months in pre-trial detention before the May ruling, which left him with two months remaining on his sentence. Rustaveli Avenue, the traditional site of protests outside parliament, had been closed to traffic almost every night for nearly a year. The restrictions were expanded in December 2025 to include pedestrian areas, when “obstructing the free movement of people” on sidewalks became an administrative offence.