Kobakhidze, Kaladze Praise “Foregin Agents Law,” CSOs Brace for Impact
On 5 December, two GD leaders, Irakli Kobakhidze and Kakha Kaladze, accused civil society organizations and their foreign donors of being behind the protests in Georgia and trying to “stage a revolution.” From hindsight, they justified the adoption of the foreign agents’ law, saying it was precisely intended to deny civil society organizations “the tools of violence.” The revived talk of the repressive “Russian law,” so far mostly dormant following the mass protests and legal challenges, revives the risks of its imminent punitive application. The statements come after the police raided political parties and activist groups yesterday, arresting leaders.
What did they say?
PM Kobakhidze addressed the ongoing political turmoil in Georgia, attributing the continuous protests to foreign funding aimed at “fueling radicalism” and “polarization.” He reiterated accusations against foreign actors in attempting to orchestrate a revolution in the country through “non-transparent means”. He said the foreign funding is behind the “liberal fascism” that is “destructive to the statehood.”
Kobakhidze argued that the key rationale behind the ruling Georgian Dream’s decision to introduce the foreign agent law was to remove this destructive pressure and stressed that the government would take all necessary measures to “eliminate” such groups and NGOs from the political landscape. He called on parents to promptly remove children and youth from such “hotbeds of liberal fascism.”
Kobakhidze further blamed the “radical opposition” and their “affiliated NGOs” for the street violence in Tbilisi, asserting that opposition leaders and “rich NGO figures” were orchestrating the unrest from behind closed doors while allegedly encouraging “attacks” on police and state institutions, and the parliament building.
He also criticized foreign diplomats, mainly U.S. and EU ambassadors, for their alleged involvement in “campaigns supporting radical opposition groups. ” He expressed confidence that after U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, Georgia would be in a better position to engage with international partners since the ambassadors would be “freed from the pressure.”
Kakha Kaladze echoed: “It has become clear to everyone that the violent side of the protest was organized by organizations and parties directly financed from abroad.” He explained the relatively peaceful rally the night of December 4-5 was due to the police raids on December 4 and the detention of activists and opposition figures, saying: “As soon as they lost the tools of violence, the protest immediately became peaceful. Accordingly, there was no need for a response from law enforcement.”
Kaladze also referred to the Foreign Agents’ law, claiming, “the goal [of CSOs and parties] was once again to create chaos, unrest, and revolutionary momentum. It must be said frankly that a foreign power was financing the coup in Georgia through bribed agents.” network,” Kakha Kaladze claimed.
What’s with the law so far?
The law “On Transparency of Foreign Funding,” otherwise known as “foreign agents law” or the “Russian law,” took effect in August 2024, following the delay related to the legal challenge. Most CSOs refused to comply. So far, 382 organizations, primarily community CSOs and some humanitarian groups, as well as many government-influenced groups (GONGOs), have voluntarily registered. The national statistics office, Geostat, lists over 32 thousand CSOs registered in Georgia, with an estimated 3900 as “active.” The authorities have not, so far, applied the sanctions for the failure to register on CSOs. However, statements from high-ranking officials may point to an imminent change in that regard.
Before the parliamentary elections, instead of the law, the Anti-Corruption Bureau was instrumental in obstructing the election observation by CSOs. The Bureau qualified the major election monitoring groups as “political actors” with declared election-related goals and demanded financial accounts on par with those of the political parties. Transparency International-Georgia, a local watchdog, and Vote for Europe, a public movement, were directly targeted and said they could not observe. After international and domestic outrage, the decision by the Bureau to target the two CSOs was reversed by PM Kobakhidze, but the underlying reasoning, backed by the loyal court, was not.
Also Read:
- 05/12/2024 – Watchdogs: Georgian Civil Sector Condemns Crackdown on Activists and Politicians
- 05/12/2024 – Special Investigation Service Probes Alleged Police Violence During Pro-EU Protests
- 05/12/2024 – Testimonies of Police Brutality During Ongoing Rallies
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