Protests and aggressions: Georgian law on “Foreign Agents”

Translated by Valeria D’Alessandro

On the night of May 8^th, Gia Japaridze, a 50-years old academic and former diplomat, was violently assaulted near his house, in Tbilisi. He reported several injuries and a concussion, and he suspects that the government send the aggressor to punish him for his opposition to the ‘foreign agent’ law, which was recently approved by the parliament. This controversial law was strongly criticized; it requires organizations that receive foreign fundings to be classified as “foreign agents”. People at the opposition are concerned that the law will be used to censor independent media, political opposition, and the civil society. 

The law is particularly worrying because it is modeled after a Russian law that has been widely used to suppress independent media and NGOs and to control the flow of information within the country.

The approval of this law provoked several waves of protests, with people invading the streets of Tbilisi, worried that the government could jeopardize Georgia’s intentions to adhere to the European Union. In such a context of raising political tension, acts of violence and intimidation against dissidents are also increasing. Political opponents and academics against this recently approved law, such as Nino Zuriashvili (founder of the investigative media outlet Studio Monitor) and Dimitri Chikovani (member of the opposition party) have received threats, intimidations, and even assaults, allegedly traceable to their political position.

The political climate in Georgia is worsening rapidly. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, justifies this new law as necessary to protect the country from foreign influences and to preserve their traditional values. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze argued that yielding to foreign influence could lead to further demands, such as adopting progressive laws that would not be beneficial for the Georgian society. He is using a rhetoric aimed at consolidating the support among conservatives, despite strong international criticism. Authorities have also suggested that the pro-EU protesters are responsible for the violence, an accusation seen by many as an attempt to delegitimize the protests. The president of the parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, announced the intention to create a public database of individuals involved in violent or illegal activities during the protests. According to the critics of the government, this database is just another attempt to intimidate and discredit political opponents.

Requests for an explanation from the Georgian Dream party have remained unanswered, while the parliament was voting for the controversial law by a landslide victory of 84-30 on favor. Thousands of protesters gathered outside the building to protest. The anti-riot police dispersed the crowd with water cannon, sound weapons and tear gas, arresting dozens of people and facing charges of abuse against the detained.

Georgia’s international partners, including the United States and the European Union, have expressed concern for this new law, warning that it could undermine the country’s euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Georgia is currently experiencing a period of significant political and social crisis. The new law on “foreign agents” has not only started a wave of protests and violence, but has also furtherly divided Georgian society and jeopardize the country’s relationships with Western nations and institutions. While the government defends the law as necessary to protect traditional values, many citizens are afraid that Georgia is sliding towards an authoritarian regime, moving further away from democratic and European aspirations. 

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