GEORGIA: Pressure on NGOs & more – 3rd Oct 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 3rd of October twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

Transparency International, One of the largest non-governmental organizations, faced a significant setback this week when the anti-corruption bureau classified it as a political entity with declared political goals. The bureau stated that Transparency International was trying to persuade voters not to support the Georgian Dream or Otseba .

Eka Gigauri, the executive director of Transparency International, argued that this decision was illegal, imposing on the organization the same obligations required of political parties. Consequently, they would be prohibited from receiving or spending foreign funds, complicating their primary mission of monitoring elections. Since the court refused to overturn the anti-corruption agency's decision, Gigauri said they wouldn’t be able to monitor elections under the Transparency International name.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn. In response to significant international backlash, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze urged the head of the anti-corruption bureau to reverse the decision. Just a day after Kobakhidze's statement, the decision was indeed overturned.

Lavrov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his country’s willingness to help normalize relations between Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. He praised the current Georgian government for its understanding of history, particularly regarding the two thousand and eight war between Russia and Georgia. He probably meant that Russia was in favor of Otsneba’s narrative, which blamed the United National Movement or Natsebi for the war and Bidzina Ivanishvili’s statement that Georgians should apologize to Ossetians for the conflict.

However, Tbilisi's Mayor Kakhi Kaladze's response to Lavrov's statement was even more significant. Kaladze said that he and his party viewed Lavrov's comments positively. This led to accusations of treason from opposition parties. According to international law, Abkhazia and South Ossetia are part of Georgia, and Russia is one of the few countries that has recognized them as independent states. So, any proposal that mentions them as independent countries, as done d by Lavrov, is unlikely to resonate positively in Georgia.

And just to prove that point… Edison Research, an international company that does political surveys for the Georgian TV channel Formula, has published poll results for a new survey. Over 1,200 people were asked in person if they agreed with Bidzina Ivanishvili’s statement that Georgians must apologize for a war started by the previous government. The result was a resounding no, with 85% of surveyed giving negative answers.

Let’s go back to Kaladze. the mayor of Tbilisi has closed all his accounts in European banks and moved his multi-million capital exclusively to Georgian banks. In response to questions from journalists, Kaladze said that he does not trust European banks anymore. Kaladze said that foreign banks had robbed Bidzina Ivanishvili of his money, referring to the dispute between Ivanishvili and Swiss Bank Credit Suisse. However, it is also likely that Kaladze is afraid of being placed under sanctions from the EU. Recently, it has been alleged that Kaladze is one of the sixty people who the US has sanctioned.

In other news, On Friday, the 27th, President Salome Zourabishvili signed an amnesty law, pardoning approximately a thousand prisoners for non-violent crimes and reducing sentences for several thousand more. However, she expressed concerns that enacting this law so close to the elections could be seen as Otsneba’s attempt to bribe the families of prisoners.

It is alleged that the ruling party is buying the loyalty of individuals with incarcerated relatives and is also using released inmates to intimidate their communities into voting for them.

Enacting an amnesty law just before elections has become somewhat of a tradition under Otsneba.

Since we mentioned Zourabishvili, on Monday, the 1st of October, she met with Andrzej Duda, Poland’s President, in Warsaw. Duda said that everyone was eager to see the decision the Georgian people would make during the parliamentary elections on the 26th of October. He also expressed Poland's support for Georgia’s goal of joining the European Union, stating that he has never doubted the Georgian people's desire to join the EU, but emphasized that the country needs a government that shares that ambition.

Another controversial law was signed on Thursday, the 3rd of October. This time, it is the Law for the Protection of Family Values and Minors, also known as the anti-LGBT law, which prohibits the promotion of non-traditional relationships. Because President Zourabishvili refused to sign the law, it was signed by the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. He stated that while the Georgian people are very tolerant, the beliefs and values of the majority must be respected. He also criticized the president for refusing to fulfill her duty and becoming an opposition figurehead.

On Thursday, the 26th, the Coalition for Change Tsvlilebebistvis Gvaramia-Melia- Girchi-Droa or Tsvlilebebistvis presented its electoral list. Instead of Nika Gvaramia, who was expected to be number one on the list, it featured Nana Malashkia, who is not a politician but has managed to become a symbol for pro-Western-oriented people in Georgia. She is often referred to as the Woman with the EU flag. Her image has been widely shared both in Georgia and abroad during the anti-Russian law protests in the spring. In the image, she is holding the EU flag while being sprayed with a water cannon by the police.

In contrast, Nika Gvaramia did not appear on the list at all. He stated that there is a common call for new faces in Georgian politics, and he chose to make way for a new generation. Gvaramia emphasized that his role within the party will remain unchanged, and he will continue to work on strengthening the party and fostering new talent in Georgian politics.

More on politics as Two of Otsneba’s ministers retired during the week. The Minister of Education, Giorgi Amilakhvari announced that he wanted to return to the private sector, stating that he would continue to support the party as a private citizen. No replacement has been announced.

Tea Tsulukiani, the Minister of Culture, left her post. However, she is far from leaving the party, as she is number six on Otsneba's electoral list. Tsulukiani did not provide a specific reason for her resignation, stating simply that the party’s leadership had asked her to return to Parliament.

Election posters continue to be a hot topic. Last week, a scandal erupted over Otsneba’s posters, which featured images of destroyed Ukrainian buildings and a message saying “Don’t choose the war”. This week, one of the leaders of Natsebi, Giorgi Vashadze, announced that a major advertising company, Alma, which owns most of the billboard spaces in Georgia, is refusing to fulfill its contract. Vashadze stated that they had already paid $180,000, but the company is declining to put up the posters due to their content. The posters were meant to say, “Get rid of Georgian Dream. Get rid of Bidzina Ivanishvili,” which seems quite tame compared to the same company printing images of destroyed buildings in Ukraine. Vashadze said that the company has deep ties with the ruling party, which wants to hinder Natsebi’s campaign.

In sports news, Ultimate Fighting Championship’s or UFC’s Bantamweight Champion Merab The Machine Dvalishvili arrived in Georgia. A crowd of fans greeted him at the airport and then headed directly to Filarmonia, where he proudly showcased his championship belt to hundreds of people gathered in the streets.

Dvalishvili also discussed the one million lari, which is around 367,000 dollars, he received as a gift from the Georgian government, stating his intention to donate the entire amount to charity and support sports development, particularly MMA, in Georgia. With his victory against Sean O’Malley in September, Merab became the second Georgian UFC champion this year, following Ilia Topuria, who also visited Tbilisi to present his belt to fans.

A small scandal erupted over the participation of Georgian freestyle wrestlers in a tournament held in Russia. The issue is that two occupied regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, were also participating in the event, albeit as independent countries. Wrestlers from Ukraine’s occupied Crimea were also present.

The Georgian Federation of Wrestling stated that the organization did not participate in the event and that the wrestlers must have gone there of their own volition. Whether any disciplinary action will be taken against the participating athletes remains to be seen.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Nakhvamdis!