During the process of passing the foreign agents’ law, the ruling government faced mass protests and civil activism, which weakened their hold on legitimate power. However, they still maintained control over the state’s repressive apparatus. Despite hundreds of thousands of citizens protesting against the law, it was still passed. This caused a clear divergence between the Georgian Dream and the people, with the ruling party now appearing to prioritize maintaining power through repression.
The infamous law was designed to suppress dissent, and its impact was felt even before it was officially passed. There has been a campaign of intimidation against those who oppose the law, including politicians, activists, and ordinary citizens. This has included violent attacks, threatening calls, and abusive messages. The ruling party and government have either directly or indirectly encouraged and supported these incidents, or turned a blind eye to them.
As the crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26 approach, political repression has become a common tactic in the campaign and in political life. To keep you informed about these cases of intimidation, violence, and threats, we have started this blog.
On September 11, the Tbilisi City Court fined Aleko Elisashvili, a leader of the opposition coalition “Strong Georgia,” GEL 2000 (approximately USD 742) for petty hooliganism and disobedience to the police. Elisashvili was charged with cursing at a policeman on April 17, when he was physically assaulted by police and later detained for several hours.
On September 10, the Tbilisi City Court also fined Saba Meparishvili GEL 2000 (approximately USD 742) for petty hooliganism and disobedience to the police. Meparishvili was also charged with “deliberately damaging” an iron protective barrier near the Parliament building, under the second part of Article 187 of the Criminal Code.
On September 9, the Tbilisi City Court fined Aleksandre Samkharadze GEL 1000 (approximately USD 371) for calling MP Viktor Japaridze, a supporter of the Foreign Agents Law, a “slave” and giving him the middle finger on May 28. Samkharadze was fined under Part One of Article 166 of the Administrative Code of Georgia, which punishes swearing in public places, harassment of citizens, or similar actions that disrupt public order and the peace of citizens.
On August 6, the Tbilisi City Court ordered Vitali Guguchia to pay GEL 5,000 (USD 1,900) bail. On August 5, the Prosecutor General of Georgia charged Guguchia, the person who reprimanded Georgian Dream spin-off People’s Power MP Viktor Japaridze in a viral video, for his criticism of the adoption of the Foreign Agents Law.
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