The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) Steering Committee calls on the Georgian authorities to cease weaponising laws to serve the interests of the ruling Georgian Dream party to the detriment Georgia’s European future.
Since the conduct of controversial parliamentary elections in Georgia (26 October 2024), the country has seen daily street demonstrations, where Georgian citizens come together against the country’s descent into authoritarianism and exercise their rights to freedom of assembly and expression through protests. These rights have been significantly and rapidly curtailed through the adoption of numerous legislative amendments by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
A lengthy list of laws has been adopted without respect for the principles of democratic lawmaking. This includes amendments in the law ‘on Assemblies and Demonstrations,’ ‘Administrative Offences Code’ and Georgia’s ‘Criminal Code’. Through these laws, the ruling party has unjustifiably restricted freedom of expression and increased criminal and administrative penalties.
It is evident that the criminalisation of peaceful forms of expression, and the imposition of disproportionately high administrative fines and prison sentences, is a result of Georgian Dream’s political ambitions to eliminate anti-government protests, rather than an objective necessity serving a legitimate goal.
For many years, Georgia’s independent civil society and media have been the main driving force for the country’s democratic transformation. However, under the Georgian Dream party’s rule, independent CSOs and media continue to be targeted by ‘weaponised legalism’.
After the adoption of the infamous law ‘on the transparency of foreign influence’, the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Issues Committee endorsed, in its first reading on March 3, a new bill on ‘Foreign Agents Registration Act’ (FARA) which intends to further broaden the scope of so-called ‘Foreign Agent Law’ and tighten its grip on Georgian civil society and media. Non-compliance with FARA will be punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee on sectoral economy approved in the first reading amendments to the Broadcasting Law, that would considerably tighten media regulations. The list of laws initiated by the ruling party also includes a bill that intends to restrict funding of media from foreign sources and ‘establish standards for media objectivity and journalistic ethics’, as well as ‘define institutional mechanisms for monitoring and safeguarding these standards’, all tools that could be used to silence independent media and push it to self-censorship.
Moreover, the ruling party intends to remove existing legal guarantees for CSOs’ participation in public decision-making processes, which will further undermine public consultation and meaningful participation in the lawmaking process. Georgian authorities have recently introduced a state-managed grant system for the civil sector which can be used as a tool to restrict the autonomy of civil society organisations.
The EaP CSF Steering Committee stands in solidarity with the Georgian people and civil society. We strongly condemn the use of laws to serve the political ends of the ruling Georgian Dream party, disregarding the democratic and European aspirations of the Georgian people.
We therefore call on:
The Georgian authorities
- To end their systematic crackdown on civil society and independent media, and to cease weaponising laws to suppress dissent and political pluralism, intimidate peaceful protesters, silence independent media and civil society organisations;
- To conduct new parliamentary elections in a free and fair manner, in order to resolve the ongoing political and constitutional crisis;
- To immediately and unconditionally repeal all laws that unjustifiably restrict the civil and political rights of Georgian people, including recent amendments in law ‘on Assemblies and Demonstrations,’ ‘Administrative Offences Code’ and Georgia’s ‘Criminal Code’;
- To free all the people who have been unjustly arrested during anti-government protests;
- To uphold democratic rights and fundamental freedoms, and align its actions with the Georgian people’s aspiration for European integration.
The European Union and its Member States
- To condemn the enactment of draconian legislation that unjustifiably restrict Georgian people’s civil and political rights;
- To apply sanctions targeting Bidzina Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream party’s key political figures responsible for Georgia’s democratic backsliding;
- To intensify political and financial support for Georgian civil society, media and human rights defenders;
- To organise visits in Georgia and meet protesters and civil society representatives, showing them support for their cause and requests;
- To continue to acknowledge and support the European aspirations of the Georgian people;
- To invite civil society and academia instead of Georgian Dream representatives to high-level meetings ;
- To increase pressure on the Georgian Dream party to release the people who have been arrested and continue supporting the individuals who have been charged with criminal and administrative offences.
The wider international community and donor agencies
- To provide stronger political and direct financial support to Georgian civil society organisations and media.
The Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
