The Daily Beat: 10 November

Following the request of the Public Defender, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) issued the Urgent Opinion on Proposed Amendments to the Law of Georgia on Assemblies and Demonstrations (Tents Law) and to the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia. In its urgent opinion, the OSCE/ODIHR urged authorities to reject the controversial “Tents Law,“ saying it would not fulfill the strict requirements under international law when restricting the right to freedom of peaceful assembly,” adding that “consequently, their adoption should not be pursued.”

President Salome Zourabishvili is in France, participating in the Paris Peace Forum. While in France, she gave interviews to the French media outlets – France24 and Radio FranceInfo. In interviews with French media, President Zurabishvili welcomed the European Commission’s recommendation on Georgia’s EU candidacy, highlighted the importance of the 2024 parliamentary elections, and spoke about Russian occupation and its impact on Georgia’s European future.

Transparency International – Georgia (TI-Georgia), a local watchdog reported that the Georgian Railway’s tender is allegedly biased and favors Russian companies. According to TI-Georgia, Georgian Railway’s GEL 184 million tender is reportedly biased in favor of companies holding certificates from the Eurasian Customs Union, which is part of the Russia-dominated Eurasian Union. With this tender requirement, “Georgian Railways” limited the circle of countries producing electric vehicles, suggested the watchdog.

Information Integrity Coalition released a statement on the European Commission’s recommendation to grant Georgia EU candidacy, urging the government “to reject anti-Western messages and groups that disseminated them, utilize strategic communications departments accordingly, and take decisive actions to implement the European Commission’s recommendations, with the engagement of civil society organizations.”  The coalition also expressed its readiness to “cooperate with all stakeholders to ensure that the European Commission’s recommendations are fulfilled.