On February 16, 2005, Merab Beridze, rector of the Akhaltsikhe branch of Tbilisi State University, was arrested. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Beridze had illegally established a military department at the university and embezzled funds paid by students for its opening.

However, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, which provided legal assistance to Beridze, stated that there was no evidence to support these allegations. His arrest sparked student protests that brought classes to a halt. On February 18, police detained several demonstrators, claiming they had blocked a major highway, disrupting traffic between Tbilisi, Akhaltsikhe, and Turkey. The students were soon released following the intervention of Public Defender Sozar Subari.

Beridze was released on February 23 after three weeks in pre-trial detention, following an appeal by a group of parliamentarians who petitioned for his release on bail. The student protests ended shortly thereafter.