flampignon - Tumblr blog

flampignon · 30 days ago

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'🇬🇪 A country once seen as the democratic bright spot of the post-Soviet space is now undergoing the fastest authoritarian regression in modern European history. 🧵Here’s a thread to keep you updated on what’s happening - and why it matters.

🇪🇺Just 18 months ago, Georgia was granted EU candidate status. Today: 🔹 Rigged elections 🔹 Political prisoners 🔹 Criminalized dissent 🔹 Legislation 100% incompatible with EU membership 🔹 Suspended EU integration The speed of collapse is staggering - and intentional.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Georgian Dream @GeorgianDream41 has steadily severed ties with the West - while mimicking Putin’s playbook at home. What began as hostile rhetoric is now a barrage of repressive laws targeting opposition, civil society, and journalists.

In May 2024, the government reintroduced and passed the so-called “foreign agents” law - explicitly modeled on Russian legislation. It allows surveillance, asset disclosure, and punishment of NGOs and media receiving foreign funding.

But that wasn’t enough. In April 2025, Georgian Dream passed a new “FARA” law - criminalizing individuals it arbitrarily deems to be under the influence of a foreign power. Punishment: up to five years in prison. It’s even illegal to receive training.

The electoral system has also been re-engineered. Changes to Georgia’s Central Election Commission mean the self proclaimed ruling party no longer needs opposition support to pass critical election-related decisions. This undermines electoral integrity at its core.

Opposition parties now risk outright bans. A May 2025 law allows the Constitutional Court - widely seen as government-controlled - to dissolve parties whose activities “substantially repeat” those of already-banned groups. This could eliminate pluralism entirely.

Independent media has been targeted with lawsuits for using phrases like “Ivanishvili’s regime” or “regime prisoners.” State-aligned courts now enforce “coverage standards” that criminalize criticism. Some journalists already face years in prison.

Journalistic work has become dangerous. More than 70 journalists have been injured covering protests since 2024. Dozens face criminal investigations, including Georgia’s first female journalist political prisoner, Mzia Amaglobeli. @MAmaghlobeli @netgazeti

Civil society is being dismantled with legal precision. New laws prohibit NGOs from receiving grants without government permission - and eliminate civil society participation in policymaking altogether. This is a deliberate move to isolate power.

Protest is no longer a right. Legislation passed in December 2024 introduced a series of bans: 🔹Face coverings at protests 🔹Use of fireworks or laser pointers 🔹Blocking roads (now criminal) Even symbolic acts can now lead to arrest.

This is not about isolated abuses. This is systematic: a legal framework crafted to make Georgia incompatible with EU membership. That’s no accident - it’s a strategy years in the making. Georgian Dream is guaranteeing that Georgia will not become a member of the EU.

In November 2024, the self-proclaimed Prime Minister Kobakhidze formally suspended Georgia’s EU path until 2028. The message was unambiguous: Georgia’s leadership no longer seeks a European future. And the streets erupted.

For over six months, protests have gripped Georgia. Hundreds of thousands marched. Artists, students, civil servants - even business leaders - joined. The ruling party responded with beatings, surveillance, and mass arrests.

More than 200 public employees have been fired simply for Facebook posts supporting EU membership. The government fears its own citizens - because it knows it does not speak for them.

80% of Georgians support EU integration. This is not a divided country. It is a hijacked one - held hostage by a ruling elite that serves neither the people nor their aspirations.

At the center of this hijacking is one man: Bidzina Ivanishvili. A shadowy oligarch with ties to Russian finance and London shell networks, he controls Georgia’s state apparatus from behind the scenes. He is Georgia’s real power.

The West must face this squarely. Georgian Dream’s authoritarian pivot is not just a domestic tragedy - it is a geopolitical gift to Moscow. And it is happening in plain sight.

Western support statements are not enough. What’s needed now: 🔹Individual sanctions on Ivanishvili and inner circle 🔹Targeted financial sanctions on enablers using Western banks 🔹Clear linkage between repression and EU/NATO pathways

This is a test of the West’s resolve. Do we stand with a pro-European population resisting authoritarian rule - or do we reward a regime dismantling democracy at record speed?

The courage of ordinary Georgians is extraordinary. They are singing the EU anthem as tear gas rains down. They are marching for values the West claims to defend - democracy, liberty, the rule of law. They wave US flags. They deserve more than applause.

Democracy doesn’t collapse overnight - it dies in stages, often under legal cover. Georgia is a warning to the world: the tools of autocracy are now subtle, domestic, and dressed in law. And this is Putin’s other kind of war - the hybrid one."

by Terje Helland

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flampignon · 2 months ago

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