Criticism Flares After CoE Secretary General’s Announcement to Work with GD to Amend Agents’ Law
On December 20, Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, concluded his three-day visit to Georgia with a press conference at which he unexpectedly announced that he received a promise from the GD government about forming a working group to amend the Foreign Agents’ law. The announcement was immediately criticized by President Salome Zurabishvili, representatives of civil society organizations and leaders of the opposition. They stress that the problem is the Russian-style government, rather than the law itself.
President’s Reaction
President Salome Zurabishvili shared her thoughts on the matter following the meeting with CoE Secretary General and his delegation. She stressed that they seem to be “a little confused” and that they “don’t understand well the situation here.”
The President stressed that during the meeting she emphasized that Alain Berset, as a representative of the oldest European institution that aims to protect democracy, human rights and freedoms in its member states, doesn’t have the mandate to set up “some kind of commission” with an “unrecognized” government to work on the Foreign Agents Law, of all things. “Who cares about the Russian law anymore?” she pointed out.
Zurabishvili stressed that the GD representatives not only deceived the Council of Europe delegation, but at the same time disrespected it. They made the Secretary-General believe that he was entering into a “constructive dialogue”, while moments later they made “provocative statements” such as those about awarding Medals of Honor to officials who have been sanctioned by several countries, including the U.S. and the UK, for organizing or participating in repressions and human rights violations against demonstrators.
The President noted that this situation is another example of the actions of the “Russian government”, trying to resort to formality, such as changing something in the law in an attempt to silence the voices of the people and end the protests. She stressed that the only way out of this crisis is the new elections.
CSOs’ Reaction
Heads of the leading Georgian CSOs all criticized the CoE Secretary General’s announcment:
Nona Kurdovanidze, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA): “The main advisory body of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission, has unequivocally stated about the “Russian law” that this law cannot be changed, it must be repealed. No working process will be able to improve this law, it must be repealed. However, the repeal of this law will not help the current crisis. The format expressed by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe will not correct the systematic practice of torture and impunity.”
Tamta Mikeladze, Social Justice Center: “Russian law does not lend itself to refinement. It is a paradigmatic anti-democratic law from the very beginning, and this is exactly what the Venice Commission said. No organization has a mandate to refine the regime when people are tortured in the streets, torturers are awarded Orders of Honor, and we are threatened every day with more severe authoritarianism.”
Nino Dolidze, International Society for Fair Elections And Democracy (ISFED): “Yesterday, together with representatives of partner CSOs, I met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. We discussed the ongoing processes in the country, the most serious human rights violations and the political crisis. We were also joined by victims who spoke and told their stories. The Russian law was not discussed at all at this meeting, and it was not in our interest to discuss this law. Today there is a much more serious political and legal crisis in the country, and society has clearly formulated two specific demands.”
Baia Pataraia, Sapari: “I want everyone to know that yesterday, in their conversation with Berset, the NGOs never once mentioned the Russian law or its repeal. We talked about torture and massive violations of human rights, and we expressed our unchanged demands: freedom to political prisoners and new elections in Georgia. We will not negotiate about any Russian laws! The illegitimate and violent regime must end!”
Opposition’s Reaction
The leader of the For Georgia party, Giorgi Gakharia, wrote on social media, “I think Ivanishvili promised him as well the post of Vice-Prime Minister,” referring to the GD government’s decision, announced today, to appoint sanctioned Interior Minister Gomelauri as the third Vice-PM.
The same sarcastic tone is evident in the Unity-UNM’s Chair Tina Bokuchava‘s Facebook post, who wrote: “Sit down, you failed!”
One of the Coalition for Change leaders Nika Gvaramia said one should not “discuss some kinds of reforms” with an “illegitimate gang that committed a constitutional coup and has been torturing people.” He also recalled that the Coalition members had refused to meet with Berset the day before as a sign of protest against his meetings with GD officials, stressing: “There will be no Charles Michel-2 [EU-brokered political agreement achieved in 2021 and later broken by the GD]. There will be no negotiations with terrorists. There is nothing to negotiate, only new elections. This has been said and should not be reconsidered.”
The representative of the opposition coalition Strong Georgia, Ana Natsvlishvili, also stressed that the main demands now are “unconditional freedom for political prisoners and new, fair elections.” “After the Russian law, so many red lines were crossed – on October 26 [fraudulent parliamentary elections], then on November 28 [GD aborts EU accession], then every day and night after November 28. Changing one Russian law, even if it were to be repealed, will not change this… I will not walk on the broken bones and strained nerves of my fellow citizens. No to the Russian government!”
Also Read:
- 20/12/2024 – Secretary General of CoE Visit to Georgia
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