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U.S. Senators’ Letter to PM Kobakhidze Warning of Possible U.S. Policy Shift over Agents’ Law
In the strongest U.S. response yet to developments surrounding the Georgian Dream’s reintroduction of the Foreign Agents law re-introduced by the Georgian Dream in the Parliament, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee, joined by 12 …
Tags: foreign agents law, U.S.
27/04/2024 - 00:38
TI-Georgia’s Claim that Government Refuses to Publish GRECO Corruption Report Denied by Authorities
The Georgian government has refused to publish the report of the fifth assessment round of the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Transparency International – Georgia said on April 26, calling on the Anti-Corruption Bureau to release the report to the public. This has been denied by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and by …
Tags: Anti-Corruption Bureau, Corruption, Council of Europe (CoE), Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO), TI-Georgia
26/04/2024 - 18:32
Former “Adjara TV” Journalist Wins Court Case Against the TV Channel
On April 26, Teona Bakuridze, the former anchor of the main news program at Adjara TV, Batumi based public broadcaster, reported that the Kutaisi Court of Appeals had recognized as invalid the order of the former director of the TV station, Giorgi Kokhreidze, to dismiss her. Teona Bakuridze, a vocal-critic of the channel’s former management, was …
Opposition Parties Call on Civil Servants Not to Participate in GD-Announced Rally
On April 26, six opposition parties – Girchi-More Freedom, Droa, Ahali, United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, and the Republican Party – issued a joint statement calling on civil servants not to participate in the April 29 rally organized by Georgian Dream, despite the political pressure they may face from the ruling party. Instead, the opposition …
Tags: Ahali, CSOs, Droa, foreign agents law, Girchi - More Freedom, Republican Party, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, United National Movement
NAPR Refuses Registration of Alt-Info’s Alternative Party
On April 26, Zurab Makharadze, the leader of the pro-Russian, anti-liberal “Conservative Movement/Alt-info” party, reported that the National Agency of Public Registration of Georgia (NAPR) started the procedure to abolish Georgian Idea. This defunct party was “gifted” to Alt-Info by its Chairman after NAPR cancelled Alt-Info’s initial registration as a political party. Makharadze shared on …
GD Member of Telavi City Council Stands Against Agents’ Law
Levan Berdzenashvili, Chair of the Legal Committee of the Telavi City Council [Sakrebulo] and a member of the Georgian Dream faction, spoke out against the infamous foreign agents law. In a video circulatedon April 26 on social media platforms he is saying: “I unequivocally oppose the passing of this law to the end and its …
Tags: foreign agents law, Levan Berdzenashvili, Telavi City Council
FM Darchiashvili Visits Norway
On April 26, Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili began his visit to Norway. He has already met with his counterpart, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. During the visit he’s also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense of the Norwegian Parliament. Meeting with counterpart Georgian Foreign Minister …
Geostat: Emigration from Georgia Nearly Doubled in 2023
According to data released on April 26 by the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), the migration from Georgia rose by 95.6% from the previous year, with 245,064 persons leaving the country. Meanwhile, immigration increased by 14.5% to 205,857 persons. The majority of immigrants (75.9%) and emigrants (62.2%) were of working age (15-64 years old). Notably, 44.6% …
Tags: Georgia's Population, Geostat
Tbilisi City Court Fines Protestors Against Foreign Agents Bill
Tbilisi City Court Judge Koba Chagunava has ordered activist brothers, a protestor Otar Murvelashvili and opposition party members, who were arrested during the ongoing rallies against the draft law on foreign agents, to pay fines of GEL 2200-2500. They were found guilty of violating Article 173 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which implies disobedience …
Tbilisi State University Allegedly Obstructs Student Discussion on Agents’ Law
The School of Political Education, a local CSO accused the management of Tbilisi State University (TSU) of attempting to obstruct the panel discussion on the Russian-style foreign agents law by denying the organizers a proper space on its premises, according to the statement by the organization. The statement said that despite the university administration’s obstructive …
EESC Leadership Calls on Georgian Government Not to Adopt Foreign Agents Law
On April 24, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Oliver Röpke, and the President of the EESC’s Section for External Relations, Dimitris Dimitriadis, issued a statement expressing their “deep concern” over the reintroduced Foreign Agents Bill and calling on the Georgian authorities not to adopt it, stating that the draft-law “potentially jeopardizes …
Tags: European Economic and Social Committee, foreign agents law
U.S. Helsinki Commission Urges Georgian Government Against Foreign Agents Bill
On April 25, the Commission On Security And Cooperation In Europe (CSCE), more known as U.S. Helsinki Commission, Chairman Joe Wilson and Ranking Member Steve Cohen issued a statement against the re-introduced Foreign Agents bill, urging the Georgian Government to “divert from this destructive path.” The CSCE leadership notes: “It is appalling to see Georgia’s …
The Daily Beat: 25 April
Daily youth protests against the Foreign Agents Law continue in Tbilisi. On Thursday evening, students and young people gathered in front of the parliament and marched toward the foreign ministry, holding pro-EU slogans and chanting, “No to Russian Law.” Protesters say they will continue rallies for Georgia’s European future and won’t allow the government to …
Tags: Bidzina Ivanishvili, CPAC, CSOs, European Parliament, foreign agents law, Foreign Ministry, Georgian Dream party, German Foreign Ministry, Kakha Kaladze, Persons with disabilities, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, Tbilisi protests
Political Reactions to EU Parliament Resolution
On April 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Foreign Agents bill with 425 votes in favor, 25 against, and 30 abstentions. The resolution urges the Parliament to halt the review of the bill and says no negotiations on EU membership shall open while that law is in force. The adopted riders also …
Tags: European Parliament, Georgian Dream
25/04/2024 - 20:29
Over 100 CSOs, Media Suspend Cooperation with Government
On April 25, more than 100 local civil society organizations and media outlets issued a joint statement saying that they are suspending cooperation with the government until it drops the controversial foreign agents bill, vowing to never register in any “defamatory” registry, and announcing a public rally against the law on Sunday, April 28, at …
Tags: CSOs, foreign agents law, media
CPAC: PM Kobakhidze Defends Christianity, Identity from “So-Called Liberals”
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze lashed out at “so-called liberals” and accused them of threatening Christianity, national identity, and state sovereignty during his address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest on April 25. CPAC, a gathering of ultra-conservative politicians from around the world, was hosted for the third time by Hungary and …
Tags: CPAC, PM Irakli Kobakhidze
Four Arrested for Stealing Books in Europe
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia reported on April 25 that four people have been arrested in Georgia for organizing the theft of rare books from European libraries worth hundreds of thousands of Euros, including a 19th-century French-language book allegedly stolen from the National Library of Paris. The investigation continues to identify other perpetrators. The bust …
Tags: Eurojust, France, Lithuania, Switzerland, Transnational Crime
EP Resolution: Accession Negotiation Shouldn’t Open Until Foreign Agents Bill is Dropped
On April 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Foreign Agents bill with 425 votes in favour, 25 against and 30 abstentions. The joint resolution is based on the five draft resolutions proposed by MEPs on April 22 and encompasses five amendments, including the ones calling for sanctions against the Honorary Chairman of …
Ombudsman Report 2023: Violent Attack on Pride “Could Not Be Prevented”
The Public Defender’s 2023 Equality Report exonerates the police from the failure to defend the Tbilisi Pride Festival from the violent mob on July 8, 2023. The report reads that since the number of far-right supporters on the spot grew quickly and the festival site was large, “it was not possible to stop them.” “The …
Tags: Gender discrimination, Levan Ioseliani, LGBTQ Rights, Persons with disabilities, Pride March, Public Defender, Tbilisi Pride, Women's rights
Disability Community Urges International Response to Georgia’s “shady” UNCRPD Nomination
Persons with disabilities and CSOs issued a joint statement condemning the Georgian Government’s non-inclusive and “shady” nomination of a candidate for the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD Committee). The signatories accuse the country of violating the relevant Convention by excluding the procedures for due participation. The undersigned urge an international …
Tags: Persons with disabilities, UNCRPD
The Daily Beat: 24 April
Lazare Grgoriadis, 22, was released from prison on April 24 after President Salome Zurabishvili signed a pardon decree. Grigoriadis was sentenced to nine years imprisonment on charges of throwing a Molotov cocktail at riot police and setting the police car on fire during the March protests last year. Later in the evening, Lazare joined young …
Tags: European Parliament, Georgian Dream party, Law on Foreign Agents, Lazare Grigoriadis, Mamuka Mdinaradze, President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, Tbilisi protests, Ukrainian Citizens extended stay
Archbishop Zenon Iarajuli: Foreign Agents Bill Creates Threats of Stigmatization
On April 24, Archbishop Zenon Iarajuli of Dmanisi and Agarak-Tashiri issued a statement on the reintroduced Foreign Agents Bill, emphasizing that if the bill is passed, the non-commercial organizations of the Georgian Church will also be considered foreign agents, and adding that the bill threatens to stigmatize individuals and organizations, which is not only a …
Tags: foreign agents law, Georgian Orthodox Church
24/04/2024 - 22:46
Ruling Party Defiant as European Parliament Debate Fuels Controversy in Georgia
Yesterday’s debate at the European Parliament session, highly critical of the ruling Georgian Dream and its attempts to legislate against civil society groups and free media, has fueled the flurry of commentary from Georgia’s political class. As five draft resolutions are tabled in Strasbourg for the vote tomorrow, April 25, the ruling party tries to …
Tags: foreign agents law, Opposition, Ruling Party
Lazare Grigoriadis Released From Prison
Lazare Grigoriadis, 22, was released from prison on April 24 after President Zurabishvili officially signed the letter of pardon. Grigoriadis was sentenced to nine years in prison on April 12 on charges of arson of the police vehicle during the March 2023 protests. President Zurabishvili promised to pardon him on the same day, quoting insufficient …
Tags: Lazare Grigoriadis
Georgia Extends Visa-Free Stay for Ukrainians to 3 Years
The Government of Georgia has issued a decree extending the visa-free stay for Ukrainian citizens from two to three years. The decree would also be applied retroactively to those who entered Georgia earlier. The government administration clarified to Civil.ge that the extension is intended to enable Ukrainian citizens who have fled the war and are …
Tags: Ukraine, War in Ukraine
Live Blog: ‘Yes to Europe, No to Russian Law’ – Rallies Against Foreign Agents Bill
Since the reintroduction of the draft law on Foreign Agents, the streets of Tbilisi have been taken over by continuous mass rallies under the slogan “Yes to Europe, No to Russian Law”, some of which have spontaneous, without the organizers announcing the rallies beforehand. Large numbers of young people – schoolchildren, students, young adults – …
Tags: foreign agents law
The Daily Beat: 23 April
Young people continue to gather in front of the parliament building every evening, protesting against the Foreign Agents Law. Later in the evening, marching through central streets, protestors arrived at the EU delegation office. At the European Parliament session, MEPs discussed the unfolding situation in Georgia under the agenda item “Attempts to reintroduce a foreign …
Tags: Beka Odisharia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, EU Delegation to Georgia, European Parliament, Georgian Court Watch, High Council of Justice, Joseph Borrell, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Russians in Georgia, Social Justice Center, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, State Duma, Tbilisi City Court, Tbilisi protests, US Human Rights Report on Georgia 2022, Vedant Patel
PM Kobakhidze Rails Against Detractors
Speaking to journalists on April 23, the Georgian Prime Minister stood by the foreign agents’ law and railed against its critics, including European politicians and some MEPs, accusing them of refusing transparency and interfering in the country’s internal affairs. Bizarrely, and in the face of mounting signals from the highest officials to the contrary, he …
Tags: Attack on CSOs, European Parliament, foreign agents law, Joseph Borrell, PM Irakli Kobakhidze, Rasa Juknevičienė, U.S. State Department
U.S.: Protests Against Foreign Agents Bill Should Not Become Violent
On April 23, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated the State Department’s assessment of the reintroduced Foreign Agents Bill as “deeply problematic and inconsistent with what one would think [are Georgia’s] EU aspirations.” He expressed support for the ongoing peaceful protests and condemned any steps that would turn the protests violent. In response …
Calls for Targeted Sanctions as MEPs Debate Georgia
At the European Parliament session, taking place in Strasbourg on April 22-25, MEPs discussed Georgia, under the agenda item “Attempts to reintroduce a foreign agents law in Georgia and its restrictions on civil society.” MEPs’ interventions on the issue were strongly critical of the ruling Georgian Dream authorities and the reintroduction of the Foreign Agents …
Tags: EU, European Parliament, foreign agents law
23/04/2024 - 22:42
SJC: Court’s Decision to Sentence Peaceful Protestors Unjustified
On April 23, the Social Justice Center addressed the imprisonment of a peaceful participant of the rally against the Russian law on the night of April 17-18, noting that the Tbilisi City Court’s decision was unjustified and aimed at intimidating the protesters and repressing the protest in a coercive way. SJC reports that one of …
Speaker Papuashvili: Attempt to Ban Discussion on Agents’ Law, EU Funds Lack Transparency
Speaking to journalists today, April 23, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that “EU funds in Georgia are not transparent,” lamented the strong international and domestic opposition to the GD-initiated law on foreign agents, saying “there is an attempt to ban discussion,” and said he is “absolutely sure that [EU High Representative] Joseph Borrell has not …
Tags: Attack on CSOs, EED, EU, European Endowment for Democracy - EED, foreign agents law, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili
Court Watch: HCoJ Approves GEL 1.3 Million Supplements for Judges
On April 22, Georgian Court Watch reported that on April 17, the High Council of Justice (HCoJ) made a decision that all judges of first and second instance courts will receive 100% of their official salaries as a supplement along with their current monthly supplement. In total, more than over GEL 1.3 million (approximately USD …
Georgia in U.S. State Department 2023 Human Rights Report
The U.S. Department of State has released its yearly human rights report on Georgia highlighting “significant” human rights issues in the country, including “torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary, along with investigations and prosecutions widely considered to be politically motivated.” Notably, the …
Tags: U.S. State Department, US Human Rights Report on Georgia 2022
The Daily Beat: 22 April
Popular protests against the Foreign Agents Law continue for the eighth day in a row. An unexpectedly large number of citizens of all generations, but mostly youth and students, gathered near the Parliament on April 22, once again blocking Rustaveli Avenue. While pro-EU protests continue in Tbilisi, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced a “national gathering,” …
Tags: anti-LGBT law, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Bundestag, Education Ministry, foreign agents law, FSB, Georgian Dream party, Josep Borell, Levan Izoria, National Tourism Administration, POSTV, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Russia, Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, State Security Service, Tbilisi protests
Popular Protests Against Agents Law Continue for Eighth Day in a Row
Popular protests against the Foreign Agents Law continue for the eighth day in a row as an unexpectedly large number of citizens of all generations, but mostly youth and students, gathered near the Parliament on April 22, once again blocking Rustaveli Avenue. Protesters in front of the parliament building on the blocked Rustaveli Ave. Photo: …
Tags: foreign agents law, Protest
22/04/2024 - 22:56
HR Borrell: “This Law is Incompatible with EU Values”
At the press conference following the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on April 22, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the ministers had discussed the situation in Georgia and “expressed their concern” about “the law on transparency”. He recalled that the Georgian …
Tags: EU, foreign agents law, Josep Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi
Russian Intelligence Cover Group Holds “Traditional Values” Conference in Tbilisi
The Russian National Research Institute for Communication Development (NIIRK), which is led by former foreign intelligence and FSB officials, co-organized a discussion on “Traditional Values as a Factor of Connecting Countries and People” on April 22 in Tbilisi, according to the agenda of the event published by NIIRK. The meeting was held at an undisclosed …
Tags: FSB, Russian Intelligence
PM Kobakhidze to Speak at CPAC Ultra-Conservative Meeting in Hungary
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze will attend and speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering of ultra-conservative politicians, in Budapest on April 25. “Wokebusters: Let’s Drain the Swamp!” is the motto of the third annual CPAC in Budapest. According to the conference agenda, the discussions will evolve in panels titled “Sovereignty Lives, Globalism Dies,” …
Tags: CPAC, Georgian Dream, PM Irakli Kobakhidze
Five Sentenced in Sgt. Roin Shavadze’s 2008 Homicide Case
The former head of the then Constitutional Security Department in Adjara and four members of the Special Forces were found guilty by Tbilisi City Court of intentional unlawful detention of Sergeant Roin Shavadze, participation in the group killing of a helpless person, and abuse of power through the use of force. All five were sentenced to 16 …
Number of International Visitors up 11% in 2024 Q1
938,644 tourists visited Georgia in the first quarter of 2024, according to information released by the National Tourism Administration on April 22. According to the given statistical data, this number of visitors is a 6.4% recovery of the pre-pandemic data. At the same time, compared to the same period last year, the growth reached 11%. Specifically, the …
Georgia’s Foreign Trade Down 6.5% in January-March 2024
On April 19, the National Statistics Service of Georgia (Geostat) published preliminary data indicating that in January-March 2024, Georgia’s foreign trade decreased by 6.5% compared to the same period of 2023, totaling $4.699 billion in value. In January-March 2024, exports from Georgia decreased by 9.3% to $1.326 billion, while imports lowered by 5.3% to $3.373 billion. As …
Tags: Foreign Trade, Geostat
Two Georgians Illegally Detained by Russian Occupation Forces
On April 22, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) reported that the Russian occupation forces illegally detained two Georgian citizens near the village of Dirbi in the Kareli municipality. According to the same report, upon receiving information about the incident, the SSSG activated the “hot line” operated by the EU Monitoring Mission. Co-chairs of …
Tags: Russian Occupation, State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia
GD Calls on Supporters to Rally Against “Black Cash”, Attack on Church,” “LGBT Propaganda”
Ruling Georgian Dream is calling on its supporters to come together “on the gathering of all people” at the Parliament of Georgia on April 29 against “financing with the black cash of the revolution, attacking the Orthodox Church, political intervention on religious grounds, LGBT propaganda, drug propaganda, discrediting state institutions, radicalization and so-called polarization.” According …
Tags: foreign agents law, Georgian Dream
GD Kicks Off Public Discussions on Anti-LGBT Legislation
The ruling majority has launched public discussions on its initiated anti-LGBT constitutional legislation on the so-called “Protection of Family Values and Minors.” The first meeting within the discussions was held today, April 22, in the city of Kutaisi in western Georgia. According to the official press release of the Georgian Parliament, from April 22 to …
Tags: anti-LGBT law, LGBT Rights
The Daily Beat: 21 April
Protests against the Foreign Agents Law and in defense of European choice continue in Tbilisi. Every evening, citizens of all generations, but mostly students and youth, gather near the parliament, blocking Rustaveli Avenue, and marching across the city, surrounding various state institutions and sites on their way, such as the Government Chancery, Justice Ministry, President’s …
Tags: Bidzina Ivanishvili, Democracy Research Institute, foreign agents law, Georgian Dream party, Irakli Garibashvili, Kelly Degnan, Lazare Grigoriadis, People’s Power, President Salome Zurabishvili, Tax Code, Tbilisi protests, Transparency International Georgia
Popular Protests Continue against Foreign Agents’ Law
Rallies continue in Tbilisi against the Foreign Agents law, as citizens of all generations gathered again on April 21 in Tbilisi, again blocking Rustaveli avenue. Many demonstrators came with their families, representing several generations. The demonstration began with the Georgian national anthem, followed by the EU anthem, after which the demonstrators marched to the Supreme …
Tags: Attack on CSOs, foreign agents law
21/04/2024 - 22:48
State Security Service 2023 Report
The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) has published its annual report for 2023, according to which the main threat to the country in 2023 remained the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia. Among other challenges, the report mentions the activities of special services of foreign countries with the aim of “gaining …
GD Chair Garibashvili: Georgia not Ready to Become an EU Member
On April 20 GD Chair Irakli Garibashvili, speaking to journalists after the meeting with the Georgian Dream party representatives in the town of Gori as part of the pre-election campaign, declared that Georgia “had achieved the maximum” by gaining the candidate status in December last year, but that “Georgia today is not ready to become …
Tags: Attack on CSOs, foreign agents law, Irakli Garibashvili
Protests against Foreign Agents Law Continue in Tbilisi
On April 2O, women and youth marches were held against the Foreign Agents law. The women’s protest also concerned the recent abolition of the mandatory women quotas for political parties in electoral lists. Dozens of women gathered at 17:00 at the First Republic Square, marching down the Rustaveli avenue to the Parliament building where they …
Tags: foreign agents law, gender quotas, Russian Law
20/04/2024 - 23:47
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