Georgian Nightmare
Chronicles

The aim of this blog is to remind lovers of democracy how, in the space of 3 years, the Georgian Dream and its leader, the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, have undermined public freedoms, gradually but surely placing Georgia in the camp of autocratic regimes. The model is clearly Russia.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the true intentions behind the Georgian government’s European aspirations have been laid bare. For the ruling “Georgian Dream” party and its leader, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, the envisioned future veers not towards the West, but firmly toward the North. Initially discreet, this directional shift has become increasingly evident over the past three years, signaling a deliberate move to not only draw closer to Moscow but to fully align with it.

In their quest to maintain power, the oligarch’s party has employed a broad array of strategies over these years. This includes allegedly rigging elections, enacting oppressive laws that curb freedoms, cracking down on public demonstrations, and launching assaults on opposition parties — a comprehensive and troubling list of actions that underscores their grip on power.

In this climate, one undeniable fact remains: the Georgian population refuses to yield. They continue to fight and resist “here and now.” For the past five months, daily protests have taken place, political parties are organizing, and President Salomé Zourabichvili is uniting the opposition while maintaining crucial international contacts that could prove decisive. In stark contrast, the “Georgian Dream” government is ramping up its repression, drafting new laws to systematically control civil society, all against a backdrop of corruption and cronyism. Nearly every day, a new scandal surfaces, unveiled by a press whose freedom is alarmingly under siege.

By creating this blog, our primary aim is to shed light on this immediate present unfolding before our eyes in Georgia. We strive to provide our readers with a weekly thematic summary that not only informs but helps decode the daily events occurring on the ground. More and more journalists are being banned from entering Georgian territory, creating an information vacuum that we will do our best to fill.