In Tbilisi’s Freedom Square, the Co-Investment Fund founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili announced plans to build Panorama Tbilisi on the site of the former Trade Union building. The project envisioned a hotel and garden on the Sololaki ridge, connected by a cable car to the complex at Freedom Square.

Public protests began even before the project’s approval. On December 30, 2014, the Tbilisi City Council amended the city’s land use plan, changing Sololaki Ridge’s landscape zone into a mixed business and residential area. Civil activists protested the decision, leading to the arrest of four demonstrators, who were later released after several hours.

Protests continued. On January 31, 2015, citizens gathered in front of the City Council, demanding that Panorama Tbilisinot be built. Later, demonstrators marched toward Sololaki Ridge—one of the planned construction sites—and formed a human chain spelling out “SOS.”

A petition followed, joined by urbanist and environmental organizations including Tpilisi Hamkari, Guerrilla Gardening Tbilisi, Iare Pekhit, Tbilisi Architectural Forum, My City, Campus, Green Alternative, Green Fist, the Save Sakdrisi Committee, Public Initiative Save the Octopus, Batomi Society, Frontline Georgia, the Center for Contemporary Art Tbilisi, the Institute of Civil Society Batumi Branch, and Racha Defenders.

Another major protest took place on July 19, 2015. Demonstrators carried signs reading PaNOrama, No to Panorama!, Sololaki Hill is Tbilisi’s identity!, and We will not stop!. Activist Giga Makarashvili’s sign, reading Panorama? No—d**!*, led to his arrest for “petty hooliganism.” Police detained ten people in total. On July 23, the Tbilisi City Court fined them for the protest.

Further demonstrations took place on April 23, 2016, under the slogan PaNOrama.

More than six years later, on December 15, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Georgia had violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of assembly) in connection with the July 2015 arrests. The court ordered the government to compensate each applicant €40 for material damages (court fines) and €1,000 for moral damages.

Ultimately, construction of Panorama Tbilisi proceeded.