Georgia is currently at a crossroads where the government is set to pass a controversial Kremlin-style bill, which opponents say will stifle civil society and hinder the country's further European integration. There is. At issue is the future trajectory of this small but strategically important country that plays a key role in the broader geopolitics of the post-Soviet region.
On May 14, the ruling Georgian Dream party passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill. The bill would require organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register with the government or face fines. Despite claims to the contrary, the law is much more similar to Russia's own Foreign Agents Act than the US's Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Responding to news from Tbilisi, EU officials suggested that adoption of the bill could prevent Georgia from joining the EU. “The EU supports the Georgian people and their choice to support democracy and Georgia's European future,” EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement. U.S. officials have also expressed concern about the issue.
Georgian Dream officials appear unfazed by the allegations. Indeed, critics argue that the passage of the foreign agency law is part of a deliberate effort to derail Georgia's Western integration and return it to the Kremlin's orbit. They claim the bill is aimed at suppressing civil society in the run-up to October parliamentary elections, and say Georgian authorities are currently trying to stamp out dissent in the country and silence opposition in Russia. He points out that he employs tactics very similar to his own efforts.
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Unprecedented numbers have taken to the streets of Tbilisi to protest the country's leanings towards Moscow, and Georgian authorities are trying to quell the protests with heavy-handed crackdowns including beatings, tear gas and water cannons. Journalists and elected officials are also among the victims of violence.
In a further echo of tactics widely employed in President Putin's Russia, political opposition members and activists in Georgia have come under apparently targeted attacks far from the protests. Some have received threatening phone calls and further harassment.
Meanwhile, Georgian authorities have been accused of copying Russia's long-standing practice of staging pro-government rallies aimed at distracting attention from protests and creating the illusion of public support. There is. One rally in late April was attended by thousands of public sector workers who appeared to have been bussed into Georgia's capital from across the country and instructed to take part.
In recent weeks, the rhetoric emanating from Georgian Dream officials has increasingly resembled the anti-Western rhetoric and conspiracy theories favored by the Putin regime. In a thinly veiled attack on Georgia's Western partners, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the unofficial leader of Georgian Dream, has labeled civil society organizations as “fake shams” controlled by foreign patrons. elite,” and accused them of trying to incite revolution in Georgia. These claims are virtually indistinguishable from President Vladimir Putin's complaints about so-called “color revolutions.”
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Officially, Georgian authorities deny that they are trying to move Georgia away from the path of European integration and reject claims of a pro-Kremlin agenda. Indeed, Ivanishvili continues to insist that Georgia is now closer to EU membership than ever before. Given that 81% of Georgians support EU membership, the ruling party's cautious rhetoric regarding Georgia's choice of Europe is understandable. However, the fact that Georgian Dream proceeded with the enactment of the Foreign Agents Act despite condemnation from the EU and massive public outcry greatly undermined the credibility of the government's argument.
Georgian Dream officials say the foreign agents law is aimed at ensuring transparency and preventing undue foreign influence in the country, but critics remain unconvinced. They argue that the law will be used as a tool to repress civil society, pointing to the horrific role similar laws have played in Russia. Many fear that if the law goes into effect, it will strengthen the ruling party's grip on power ahead of Georgia's next election and set the stage for a more authoritarian form of government.
If Georgian Dream secures a convincing result in the October vote, Mr Ivanishvili has already outlined plans to harshly “politically and legally censure” the party's internal opponents. Such statements must be taken seriously, given the escalation in violence against rebels and pro-democracy protesters in Tbilisi in recent days.
Hundreds of thousands of Georgians took part in protests this spring to highlight their country's support for a European future, and the struggle is expected to continue in the coming months. The Georgian government has already shown its readiness to adopt Kremlin tactics. The question is how far are they willing to go?
Lucy Minicozzi-Wheeland is a master's student in Regional Studies: Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia at Harvard University and a research assistant at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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Image: Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Capitol as demonstrators rally against the “Foreign Agents” bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 14, 2024.Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze
