On the morning of June 17, 2022, enforcement police arrived on Kekelidze Street in Tbilisi to evict a family from the ground floor of a multi-story building. The family included a three-month-old baby.

Family members told the media that they had taken out a loan from Bank of Georgia in 2008 and had been making payments until 2013, when a bank employee advised them to continue the arrangement with a private lender. Problems began after dealing with that lender, who eventually initiated the sale of their apartment in 2018.

Apartment owner Marina Khatiashvili stated that they had taken a 10-year loan of $20,000, repaid $43,000 within five years, and in total had paid $80,000 to private mortgage lenders.

Civic activists, neighbors, and supporters gathered near the building to oppose the eviction, blocking traffic and demanding more time for the family. To delay the process, the family and activists locked the entrance with an iron door. Tensions escalated when enforcement officers brought a metal-cutting tool to open the door.

That day, the eviction was postponed — for the second and final time permitted under the law. On January 23, 2023, when the enforcement police were expected to return, the family welded the apartment door shut from the inside to prevent entry. The process was again postponed, officially due to “staff training.”

Exactly one year later, on January 23, 2024, enforcement police returned with patrol officers to carry out the eviction. Residents and activists gathered at the entrance trying to block them. The iron door was again welded shut, and activists poured cold water on police officers from the apartment windows. A journalist from Public Broadcaster who was filming from the roof of her car was forcibly removed by police as protesters shouted “Servant!” and “Leave!”

According to the Enforcement Bureau’s press service, negotiations between the creditor and debtor had taken place the previous day but failed — the debtor refused an alternative housing offer, and the creditor rejected a partial payment.

Enforcement officers spent over two hours trying to enter the apartment, cutting through both the entrance gate and the apartment door with assistance from patrol police and emergency services, who used technical equipment. The family’s belongings were removed and stacked in the hallway.

That day, police detained 20 people, including activists Kako Chikobava and Giorgi Khasaia, who were charged under criminal law for allegedly damaging an enforcement vehicle. Among those detained administratively was journalist Gela Mtivlishvili from Mountain Stories.

Two days after the eviction of Marina Khatiashvili and the removal of her belongings, it was announced that an agreement had been reached: she would pay $90,000 within a month, and the apartment would be returned to her.