In October, the Georgian Parliament adopted a series of repressive and freedom-restricting laws. It is crucial to recall them to show how far the power deviates from democratic standards, shamelessly sinking into the camp of not only “illiberal” regimes (Hungary…) but frankly “dictatorial” ones (Russia, Belarus…).

Laws designed to suppress any popular protest and break daily demonstrations: wearing a mask, blocking a road, slowing down traffic during gatherings on public roads… for each of these “offenses,” a protester faces 15 to 60 days of imprisonment. Repeat offenders can receive up to 2 years of imprisonment. Numerous testimonies attest that the police do not hesitate to violently arrest simple demonstrators present on the spot. These laws were passed by Parliament under orders, aiming to deter any opposition. Yet, in Tbilisi, every evening, Rustaveli Avenue becomes the scene of people demanding democracy and Europe…

Laws to ban several hundred people from engaging in political activities. In September, Minister Tea Tsulukiani accused the opposition of being an obstacle to the “healthy regime” of Georgian Dream and its leader, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. The adopted law targets hundreds of people—according to the “president of Parliament”—who will be banned from founding or participating in political parties, holding positions of responsibility, or occupying public office. The illegitimate president of the illegitimate Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, even indicated that many figures not affiliated with the opposition but considered close could be targeted, including artists and intellectuals with democratic and pro-European tendencies.

All this repressive legislative arsenal logically fits into the long list of so-called “Russian” laws that have helped mobilize the population and ignite the powder. Will it be enough to extinguish a democratic aspiration shared by the vast majority of Georgians? Certainly not.

Source: Civil Georgia