There is no segment of democratic practice in Georgia today that is not under enormous and dangerous pressure, said Sabina Ćudić, co-rapporteur for Georgia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
She spoke about the challenges facing civil society in Georgia, saying that “the once thriving and most promising civil society in the region” is now facing existential threats.
“There is no segment of democratic practice in Georgia today that does not find itself under enormous, enormous and dangerous pressure.
Particularly, we look at one by one attacks on civil society. We look at the arrests and the frozen accounts of the civil society organizations. May I remind you that Georgia once had the thriving, most promising civil society in the region that now finds itself on the brink of existence due to adopted legislation that treats its own organizations as foreign agents. Furthermore, looking at the elections that are coming up in Georgia on the fourth of October local elections, we have zero proof that these elections can be free and fair, considering that they will have no civil society oversight. First of all, because of the enormous pressure that the Georgian civil society finds itself under. Second, there is no cooperation with international organizations for overseeing elections, the invitation for ODIHR came too late, preventing meaningful oversight and necessary refusal on the part of ODIHR to take part and of course, our very own Council, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, which had not been invited to participate in overseeing these elections.
Next element of democratic life of Georgia, it’s journalists and free press again, we look at a field in which journalistic freedoms are stifled, and we continue to see attacks of journalists. Mzia Amaglobeli, who still finds herself under politically motivated charges, still in prison.
Over 60 civil society organizations find themselves under attack and with their bank accounts frozen”, she said.
Sabina Ćudić: There is no segment of democratic practice in Georgia today that is not under enormous and dangerous pressure – we have zero proof that the elections can be free and fair
