Georgia Newsletter #1 April - PART 1

April Georgia News Roundup/Resource for Journalists

Note this is only the first half of April, so it’s part 1 of Newsletter 1!

When I first conceived the idea of creating a newsletter for English speakers and beyond, to provide a roundup of news, I never anticipated that my inaugural newsletter would be amid the profound crisis that has engulfed Georgia in recent months. I feel a tremendous responsibility not to disappoint you and to present the news in the most candid manner possible.

It's important to acknowledge my perspective: I am a socialist, and my background as a union organizer in Georgia, my podcast on Soviet Georgian history, and my experiences as a social researcher and "citizen" journalist as well as long-time participant of movements shape my understanding of Georgia's current situation. I speak openly about my bias not to anticipate criticism, but rather to highlight the inherent bias in all news sources. It's essential to recognize that every piece of news you receive, whether from mainstream media or alternative sources like mine, is influenced by the perspective and biases of the individuals or organizations presenting it.

Independent media in Georgia clearly showed their bias in their statements “The teacher of Georgian Dream is the Russian government, like which it wants to rule the country by subjugation and control, suppression and expulsion, lies and demagoguery….We will not allow the Georgian Dream government to lose a real chance to return Georgia to the European family.”

In April's news, I observed the consistent fears put forward by Georgian Dream that their authority was being undermined by domestic and international actors, which culminates in the foreign influence bill and continues in statements. I also saw the consistent fears put forward by opposition parties, civil society, and a visible part of protests that this bill was a Russian takeover and change in foreign policy from Europe to Russia. Two studies (including one from National Endowment for Democracy) show that foreign influence bills come into play when the government feels threatened domestically and “Rather, a country’s willingness to enact restrictive legislation also depends on its authorities’ perception of both the level of politicization of NGOs and U.S. foreign policy toward regime change in the country.”

It's evident that the opposition to the bill is citing studies that highlight the potentially harmful consequences of such transparency measures on civil society. Additionally, our article clearly outlines why the proposed bill may not address its stated objectives and could instead burden already vulnerable NGOs with additional work, stigma, and potential fines. Despite government claims of feeling endangered, the opposition maintains its stance that the bill serves Georgian Dream's desire to maintain power at all costs. Similarly, Georgian Dream appears dismissive of the opposition's concerns, contributing to a deepening of mistrust between the two sides.

The entrenched positions and mutual suspicion have created a highly polarized atmosphere where each side views the other with existential fear. In such circumstances, finding common ground or a path towards resolution becomes increasingly challenging. Without a willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue and address each other's concerns, the impasse seems difficult to overcome.

The English version of the bill is on the pro-government site, Imedi. It can be found on this link

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On March 26th, Georgia achieved something remarkable since the USSR's dissolution: it reached the European Championship. For the first time, I saw people who hadn't smiled in ages, break into grins. There was a genuine sense of joy in the air, and for once, society felt tranquil. It was a moment that felt good, peaceful, and brought a smile to our faces despite our hardships.

Yet in March there were a lot of statements between civil society and Dream over courts and outside vetting.

On March 31st, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze emphasized the government's commitment to transparency, accountability, and public involvement in decision-making. He highlighted steps taken, including the decision to publish all decrees and efforts to engage citizens in decision-making processes during Anti-Corruption Bureau's annual report.

A few days later, on April 1st, I initially thought it was an April Fool's joke when news broke about a proposal to eliminate gender quotas in parliament. This came to my attention through the libertarian party Girchi, who were actively advocating for it. They introduced the motion to abolish the gender quota just the day before, using an accelerated procedure. By April 4th, they were proudly claiming success in ending gender quotas. Surprisingly, the ruling party, Georgian Dream, supported the abolishment despite having previously accepted the quotas for the period 2020-2032. The effort and resources invested in pushing for gender quotas in 2020 must have been substantial. Even what was eventually passed as stated by a recent study indicated it wasn't impactful enough - so it begs the question why was it deemed important to get rid of? The elimination also entailed simplifying party lists, reducing the number of named MPs from 60 to 30. The liberal feminist movement, more of a dormant coalition of major feminist NGOs than an active movement, didn't even have time to organize a counter-protest against this swift decision.

On April 1st, the Mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze expressed concerns about attempts to exert influence over the courts and judges, emphasizing the importance of upholding sovereignty and respecting Georgia's independent status. Kaladze underscored the need to prioritize the rule of law and the constitution, ensuring that decisions are made in the interest of Georgian citizens and not influenced by external forces or organizations.

Reminder that last year, four judges were sanctioned, “for U.S. Department of State is publicly designating Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Irakli Shengelia, and Valerian Tsertsvadze under Section 7031(c) visa restriction authorities, due to their involvement in significant corruption.”

On April 2nd, Abram Paley, the United States Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, underscored the "productive meetings" held on Tuesday with Alexander Khvtisiashvili, the Deputy Foreign Minister, representatives of the National Bank of Georgia, and commercial banks regarding the enforcement of sanctions against Iran.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili spoke out on April 2nd, accusing unspecified international donors of domestic NGOs of "grossly violating the standards of international aid." He raised concerns about "underground funding" of domestic "radical groups" and "illegal funding" of political parties. Despite personal discussions with diplomatic representatives and donors, Papuashvili highlighted persistent violations of aid standards, stressing that international aid should adhere to established regulations. He referenced the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness¹, which emphasizes donor transparency and accountability in aid spending.

Shalva Papuashvili criticized the US for "unfair" sanctions on Georgian judges, alleging they were used as an excuse by domestic opposition and NGOs to attack the judiciary. He called on the US to explain the reasons behind the sanctions, especially in light of the European Court of Human Rights rejecting Nika Gvaramia's claim against his conviction for improper commercial deals during his time at Rustavi 2 TV. Gvaramia's case was presided over by Judge Lasha Chkhikvadze, who was among those sanctioned by the US. Papuashvili questioned whether the sanctions were a mistake or deliberate misrepresentation by US Embassy-sponsored NGOs in Georgia.

Gvaramia spoke out about the rejection: “"I am very sorry, but theEuropean Court of Human Rights did not accept my claim for consideration. One judge decided that the case should not be tried at all, and he saw nothing in the case that all human rights organizations around the world saw and loudly protested.”

On April 2nd, Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, expressed regret that Zurab Adeishvili, a former Prosecutor General of Georgia under the previous United National Movement Government, represented Ukraine in official visits to The Hague. The Georgian Prosecutor's Office has requested Dutch authorities to arrest and extradite Adeishvili. This request followed reports of Adeishvili's participation in an official delegation of Ukraine attending an international conference titled "Restoring Justice for Ukraine."²

On April 3rd, the ruling party announced its intention to resubmit a bill on transparency regarding foreign influence to Parliament.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Parliament, accused domestic NGOs of launching a "Soviet-style campaign" against the judiciary's independence. This statement followed the majority's decision to resubmit a bill on transparency of foreign influence, which was withdrawn last year amid public protests. Mdinaradze claimed NGOs were unfairly targeting the judiciary, despite the absence of significant court cases showing systemic issues. He accused wealthy NGOs and radical parties of attacking the judiciary, particularly over cases important to the opposition. Mdinaradze also criticized NGOs for promoting "pseudo-liberal ideology" and alleged foreign donors had not taken responsibility for their actions. He further accused former US Ambassador Kelly Degnan of representing the interests of a "Global War Party" in Georgia.

The proposed legislation aimed to classify non-commercial legal entities and media outlets receiving over 20 percent of their funding from abroad as "agents of foreign influence." The Parliament Speaker cited the Droa opposition party as an example of non-transparent funding, noting that its foreign funding was accidentally revealed by the party leader in a social media post. He criticized the lack of transparency, stating that foreign funds were already influencing politics in Georgia. Last year, the Georgian Parliament formally withdrew the draft law following criticism from local NGOs, the US Department of State, EU officials, and the UN Office in Georgia.

Shalva Papuashvili noted that the language used in the bill regarding transparency of foreign influence, initiated by the parliamentary majority, was derived from a draft directive initiated by the European Commission.

The Prime Minister of Georgia emphasized their commitment to transparency referencing Open Budget rankings and accountability in government operations, highlighting that all Government Decrees have been made publicly available since the beginning of their tenure. They stressed the importance of transparency in avoiding wrongdoing and mistakes, equating it with a European mindset. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the new law on transparency of foreign influence would protect donors from funding radicalism and polarization by NGOs and media outlets, as well as prevent disinformation campaigns and attacks on national identity. They noted that social surveys have shown NGOs to have the least credibility among Georgian institutions, and emphasized the need for NGOs and their donors to adopt European standards of transparency. Finally, the Prime Minister criticized forces opposing Georgia's EU candidacy and promoting Orwellian absurdities, asserting that true progress entails transparency and accountability to the public.

The National Bank of Georgia announced on April 4th that the country's legislation and practices align with international standards, as assessed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD evaluated Georgia's compliance regarding information exchange and transparency for payment purposes, highlighting significant progress in access to banking information. The report praised Georgia's banking sector for obtaining information about company owners and recognized the National Bank's supervisory framework for preventing money laundering and financing terrorism. The OECD assessment, initiated in March 2023 after a three-year study, affirmed Georgia's adherence to international standards.

Levan Davitashvili, the first Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Georgia, commented on the reintroduction of the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence on April 4th, stating that the domestic public has a legitimate right to know the funding sources of organizations operating in the country, especially when those funds may be linked to particular interests. He emphasized that similar legislation has been adopted by many successful western democracies and is actively discussed in the European Union, aiming to strengthen democracy by ensuring transparency in funding sources for all organizations. Davitashvili clarified that the bill requires clear reporting on financing and does not impose additional responsibilities. He also highlighted the importance of economic security, stating that many organizations act in accordance with specific interests that can often be detrimental to economic projects.³

Georgian Vice Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze emphasized the European Union's stance on the importance of transparency in foreign funding and influence to combat public misinformation and ensure transparency across European countries. He cited Georgian officials and the business sector as examples of publicly submitting their income and expenditures, stressing the importance of non-governmental organizations following this transparency standard.

Here is MP Roman Gotsiridze’s position that sums up how most opposition feels

"This is a Russian law, adopted by the Russian authorities. This is a direct refusal to join the European Union. This was preceded by other laws, including the amendment of the election law. In fact, this government has decided to give up the process of joining the country to the European Union in exchange for maintaining its power. This government is a traitor who is returning the Russian law to the streets, and hundreds of thousands of people coming out on the streets will show this party a place on the historical dustbin. No one is afraid of these pulls - no one.”

Here is an example of how the women opposition MP Lelo Party Ana Natsvlishvili claims GD are sexists:
"This government is fighting against all those people that it could not subjugate, intimidate, subordinate and control. The tool used in this fight against women is most often sexist hate speech. However, it is not only against women, it is just that women have been specifically targeted. The leaders of "Georgian Dream" have repeatedly told us in private conversations that we, female MPs, are creating serious problems for them and they will not accept it," Natsvlishvili said.

On April 4th, the ruling majority in parliament has initiated constitutional amendments aimed at combating "LGBT propaganda," with two separate proposals registered, including amendments to the current constitution and a constitutional law titled "On family values and protection of minors." Reminder: Georgian Dream does not have a constitutional majority and cannot change the constitution. They are aiming to make these constitutional changes after the elections if they get the constitutional majority. Some are suspicious that they want a constitutional majority to change the constitution in other ways and are weaponizing LGBT. Some think this might just be populism to dangle this anti-propaganda changes to win elections without going through with it.

April 4th, about 200 organizations of the Georgian National Platform of Eastern Partnership write that they “felt insulted by the ruling party's violation of the promise made to the public that it would not return the so-called agents law.”

Then: The European Union high representative’s spokesman “recalls the public pledge of the Georgian government and the ruling party from the last year to “unconditionally withdraw” such legislation. The EU regrets that it is once again being considered despite strong public and international reactions in March 2023.”

April 4th Prime Minister dismisses Head of Georgian Intelligence Service

April 4th, Latvia removes Ruling Party MP Beka Odisharia, from being their Honorary Counsel in Georgia

April 5th Irakli Beraia was appointed as the head of the Georgian Intelligence Service.

April 6th Mdinaradze claims there was a promise made last year that there will be transparency of finances, and why they pulled the bill but that promise was broken.

On April 8th, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia, announced that 145,000 individuals would have their tax debts totaling ₾590 million ($218.55 million) "completely written off."

April 8th Civil activists call on citizens to protest in front of Parliament

April 8th “We determined the country's course with the constitution and we know for sure that Georgia will definitely become a full-fledged member of the European family, but not at the expense of standing on one leg, undermining national self-respect, losing national identity, opacity and interfering in the country's governance with black money! Georgia will never allow this again! #with dignity in Europe,” wrote Mamuka Mdinaradze.

April 8th EuroOptimists deputy Khatia Dekanoidze

"A few days ago, it became known that the Tbilisi City Court accepted the lawsuits of four judges - Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Sandro Metofishvili and Vasil Mshvenieradze and suspended the examination of their declarations, which means that for the first time in the history of Georgia, corrupt judges, the "clan" refuses their declarations to be checked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

April 8th PM Irakli Kobakhidze said they are going to build another airport in Tbilisi.

April 8th Media organizations issue a statement, starts with:

“The teacher of Georgian Dream is the Russian government, like which it wants to rule the country by subjugation and control, suppression and expulsion, lies and demagoguery….We will not allow the Georgian Dream government to lose a real chance to return Georgia to the European family.”

On April 9th, Public Defender, Levan Ioseliani, the Ombudsman's office will review the decision made by the public registry regarding the cancellation of the "Alt Info" party. Following this assessment, the office will communicate its opinion to the public.
The conservative part of Alt-Info was removed from the registry.

April 9th, “The Strasbourg Court found that under the conditions of Russian occupation, the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, which include the right to life, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, the right to liberty and security, the right to property and the freedom of movement, are systematically violated.”

April 12th, President Zurabishvili pardons 21-year-old Lazare Grigoriadis, who was arrested on charges of harming the health of police officers and destroying state property during the March protests last year for the same “Foreign Agent law.” According to the decision of Tbilisi City Court judge Zviad Sharadze, Lazare Grigoriadis was sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment.

Chairman of Georgian Dream, Irakli Gharibashvili said about this decision by the president to pardon Lazare, "I try very hard to be measured in my assessment. What should we call this decision and how can we not call this decision anti-state? A person felt sorry for the person who threw a "Molotov cocktail" at our proud policeman and wanted to burn our hero policeman alive.”

April 13th, Mdinaradze appeals to US once against to remove sanctions on the judges, “In public sources, it appears that Gigauri and Lomjaria are called some kind of "clan", and the investigation cannot be started based on this. Therefore, they should remove the sanctions, on the contrary, we are appealing to them in this discussion, or they should remove the sanctions, and they should also apologize to Lasha Chkhikvadze, who even the family members put in a very difficult psychological situation so that those people needed medical help, and in the second case, if this is no longer the case they should do it, then give us the evidence on the basis of which these people were sanctioned and the Georgian justice will investigate."

April 14th, Girchi party submits addition to the foreign influence bill to include lobbying. Mamuka Mdinaradze, states that the draft law prepared by Girchi regarding the admission of political lobbying "can be discussed.”

April 14th, Rally in front of parliament in the morning and afternoon.

April 14th, Prime Minister Kobakhidze offers to discuss this bill publicly,

"On transparency of foreign influence" harms the trust of the Georgian society towards our partner countries, I offer the ambassadors of the United States of America, the European Union and EU member states to hold a public discussion about this draft law.

What seemed like a response to this, Salome Zurabishvili, “A debate was held in Berlin between the prime ministers, and it was said: the law is not European, nor will its return serve the European goal!”

Member of Parliament, opposition, Beka Liluashvili also responded to this with “In the biggest issue, which causes the biggest controversy in the Georgian society, which caused the largest protest action under the rule of "Georgian Dream" and I am sure will cause it even today, bringing in representatives of diplomatic countries on this issue and confronting them so openly is a concrete message that seems to be , baked in [Bidzina] Ivanishvili's mind. He is trying to bring our strategic partners into the public debate. Along with the process of adopting the "Russian law", which already puts an equal sign between our friends and enemies, on top of that they want to openly declare the European Union as an enemy of this country.”

April 15th Rally in front of parliament in the morning and afternoon. 14 protestors were detained according to police.

April 15th Opposition MP punches Ruling party leader of the parliamentary majority, Mdinaradze while he is presiding over the discussion over the foreign influence law.

April 15th 8 non-governmental organizations cease cooperation with the Supreme Council of Adjara in the format of the Open Governance Consultative Council

April 16th Salome Zurabishvili writes a post on X using the Russian word for special forces of Georgia “spetznats” and conjures up Soviet Union.

“Massive peaceful demonstration of civil society in Tbilisi against the “Russian law”. “spetznats” with water and gas canons ready to pass to action against civilians defending their European future. Arrests are ongoing. Georgia will not surrender to resovietisation! !’, she wrote on X.

April 16th Legal Issues Committee supports the foreign influence bill.

“Hey Matthew, are you kidding my friend?” - In Georgia, trust in the judicial system is over 50%. In your country, America, there is only 25% trust, - Georgian Dream MP Irakli Zarkua told reporters in response to the statement of US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.

As Zarkua noted, the judges of the independent court of Georgia were sanctioned and are still waiting for the justification of the reasons.

On April 17th, the Parliament of Georgia approved amendments to the tax code of the country, resulting in the writing off of tax debts totaling ₾591 million ($221.53 million) for 145,842 individuals. Paata Kvizhinadze, the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, stated that all private entities, including individual entrepreneurs, would have their recognized tax debts incurred and unpaid before January 1, 2021, fully written off.

Furthermore, the amended code introduces tax reliefs for the transfer of ownership rights to Georgian enterprises for all assets of foreign enterprises registered in the country with preferential taxation until January 1, 2028.

In a conversation with Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, she discussed the decision to freeze Russian assets held by national central banks following the invasion of Ukraine. Lagarde described this as a harsh but necessary measure, aimed at pushing Russia to the negotiation table and providing resources for Ukraine's reconstruction. She emphasized that this action was taken by all G-7 countries and beyond, including Australia, to the extent that they held such assets.

“Now moving from freezing the assets to confiscating the assets, disposing of them, is something that needs to be looked at very carefully, because if you start breaking the international legal order that you want to protect, that you would want Russia to respect and all countries around the world, you need to ask yourself, by precipitating the availability of those funds—it’s not a question of the principle that it must be available for reconstruction. On that. I think we all agree—or, the European leaders all agree, I think, on that. But precipitating the availability of it because financing is not available elsewhere, that’s the reality, that opens a whole series of other questions which have to do with respect of the international legal order, which have to do with financial stability, which have to do with joint effort and therefore joint liability for doing that and guarantee that we give to each other. So that’s, you know, in a nutshell, where we are.”

The foreign officials/international organizations who have come out against the draft law in April (incomplete list):

Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General

Miriam Lexmann, MEP Member of the European Parliament, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats)

Viola von Cramon, MEP and European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee member, , Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (has Israel flag in her Twitter bio)

Petras Auštrevičius, MEP Lithuania, Renew Europe Group

U.S. Senators Jim Risch, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen, chair of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation

MEP Anna Fotyga, Poland, European Conservatives and Reformists Group

Chairman of the German Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Roth (has Israel flag in his Twitter bio)

Sven Mikser, Estonia MEP, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament

Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the United States State Department

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway

Christiane Hoffmann, Deputy Spokesperson of the German Government.

Sebastian Fischer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany

Representation of the United Nations in Georgia

Jim O'Brien, US Assistant Secretary of State

Freedom House report - "Nations in Transit 2024”

Olaf Scholz German Chancellor

MEP Rhijs Reuten, Netherlands, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament

Sheraz Gasri, the French Ambassador to Georgia

1. The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is a nonbinding international agreement adopted in 2005 by numerous countries and organizations aimed at improving the effectiveness of aid delivery. It outlines principles and commitments for both donors and recipients of aid, emphasizing ownership, alignment, harmonization, managing for results, and mutual accountability. The declaration seeks to ensure that aid efforts are coordinated, transparent, and focused on achieving sustainable development outcomes.

2. On April 15-17, during US visit to Kyiv, the delegation engaged in discussions with important Ukrainian counterparts and their teams regarding operational issues. This included meetings with Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin and Head of the International Legal Cooperation Department Zurab Adeishvili.

3. This could also be a reference to the Namokhvani Dam project which was successfully ended by popular mobilization.