>> The Georgia Drema government is pushing the country towards domestic strife, writes Hans Gutbrod.

APRIL 23 2024 (The Bulletin) — The Georgian Dream is doubling down on its draft law on “transparency of foreign influence”, directly challenging the West.

The draft law has a number of features that have led some commentators to describe it as a “repress anyone we like” law.

Critics point out that it has a sweeping scope, affecting all non-profits. The law allows for extensive intrusion by inspectors every six months and leaves plenty of room for arbitrariness. Fines for even minor deficiencies are set at a fixed 10,000 lari ($3,600), an amount that few Georgian non-profits can afford.

None of these criticisms have been answered.

If the government is concerned about how dependent much of Georgian civil society is on foreign funding, as it claims, it could make more local funding available. Instead, the Georgian Dream government pursues a repressive course, while reducing its own transparency.

No one seriously believes the stated reasons for pursuing the law. Georgia’s civil society sector is highly transparent already.

Explanations on the motives differ. Many believe the Georgian Dream is following instructions from the Kremlin, pointing to similar recent laws in Kyrgyzstan.

Others link the law with the concern that Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s oligarch-in-chief, has about potential sanctions. Is it a way of sabotaging Georgia’s European path? Demonstrators certainly seem to think so.

EU ambassadors who had hoped that the Georgian Dream could be enticed by opening the door to Europe now have to contend with a government that seems on a rampage.

The Georgian Dream, at any rate, is taking a huge bet ahead of parliamentary elections in October.

Polling suggests that 65% of people under 35 are against this law, and a similar law was abandoned last year after clashes between protesters and the police. Any sober analysis suggests that only repression can keep the government in power if it runs against the overwhelming majority of young people.

People have been protesting for days. If the law passes a second and third reading, the government will have plenty of tools for shutting down civil society. Stoking unrest and then repressing it could be the Georgian Dream’s aim.

>> Hans Gutbrod has been based in the South Caucasus since 1999. He holds a PhD in International relations from the London School of Economics.

ENDS

— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024

TBILISI/APRIL 17 2024 (The Bulletin) — Georgian MPs passed the first reading of a “foreign agents” bill that will clamp down on West-backed NGOs and media. 

The bill needs to pass two more readings before it becomes law. This is expected by mid-May. The Georgian Dream government, suspected of being pro-Russia, dominates parliament. 

Thousands of people have protested against the law every day outside parliament in the centre of Tbilisi. Police used pepper spray to disperse some crowds but major clashes with protesters have not been reported, although MPs have brawled in parliament.

Last year, the Georgian Dream government abandoned a similar bill after street fights. 

ENDS

— This story was published in issue 565 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on April 23 2024

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2024