How Georgian government intensifies repression and whether it will save them

"Russia remains an occupier, but no longer an enemy" – a bizarre formula, yet one that the Georgian government has now adopted and is actively instilling in the consciousness of Georgian citizens.

The ruling party, Georgian Dream, is pushing a narrative that distorts reality, downplaying the Russian occupation and attempting to soften its perception in society.

Russia is no longer the primary antagonist in this narrative but rather the "deep state of the West", the force that refuses to acknowledge the democratic "successes" of the Georgian government and is allegedly striving to drag Georgia into a war with Russia.

A complete break with the West is becoming increasingly evident, and a bloodless resolution to the crisis now appears either impossible or will become so in the near future.

Read more in the article by Amiran Khevtsuriani, founder of the Georgian-Ukrainian Center (based in Tbilisi) – Dark times for Georgia: will new repressions suppress protests in the country? He examines how the Georgian authorities are tightening control and the potential consequences.

In the past week, Georgian Dream has pushed through a series of "laws" (in quotation marks, as they were passed by a parliament with questionable legitimacy) that further restrict citizens' rights to peaceful protest.

For example, organising demonstrations in locations declared "strategic" by the government is now considered a criminal offense.

It appears that, faced with increasing international isolation, Georgian Dream has decided to retaliate against Georgian society, which has been openly and unabashedly protesting against the regime for the past three months.

This crackdown was highly predictable, as Georgian Dream’s propaganda had long convinced its supporters that 20 January 20 (the date of Donald Trump's inauguration) would mark the beginning of a new system.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, further sanctions from Washington, London, and Brussels are expected.

In response, Georgian Dream has introduced legislative measures so extreme that even Belarusian dictator Lukashenko might be surprised by their creativity.

Over the next two months, the ruling party plans to: tighten anti-drug policies, introduce a media law to impose "journalistic ethics standards" and restrict foreign funding for media, strengthen juvenile justice laws – a move interpreted as retaliation against the high number of young people actively participating in protests.

The government is also escalating its crackdown on NGOs, viewing them as personal enemies.

Funding regulations for NGOs are set to resemble those in Belarus and Russia.

According to government "spokesperson" Mamuka Mdinaradze, "State employees will be restricted from receiving foreign-funded assistance without approval from their institution’s leadership."

Despite these oppressive measures, mass protests in Georgia continue unabated – citizens have been demonstrating against the regime daily for over two and a half months.

At the same time, the number of political prisoners is rising. There are now around 600 detainees.

A survey conducted by the Institute of Social Research and Analysis (ISSA) reveals that nearly 60% of Georgians support the protests, with 45% actively endorsing them.

Moreover, support for radical forms of protest is steadily growing.

This shift is unsurprising since people are shocked by the government's actions and increasingly doubt that peaceful protests will achieve anything.

As a result, Georgia is standing on the brink of violence. This is no exaggeration because chances for a compromise between the opposing sides, let alone dialogue, are virtually nonexistent.