US senators: "Georgian Dream is consolidating power through anti-democratic actions"
US senators on Georgian Dream
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Roger Wicker, Chair of the US Helsinki Commission and the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a joint statement saying that the ruling Georgian Dream party is seeking to consolidate power through anti-democratic actions.
The senators noted that they were making this statement “following reports that Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, on dubious legal grounds, requested detailed information from the non-governmental sector, including on human rights activities.”
US senators’ statement
“The Georgian Dream (GD) government is moving aggressively to consolidate power by silencing independent voices in anti-democratic moves reminiscent of the Lukashenka regime in Belarus.
The scope of the information requested from civil society is likely illegal, but also so vast that it will certainly lead to non-compliance.
GD’s actions, understood to be directed by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, aim to paralyze the important work of groups including Civil Society Foundation, the Economic Policy Research Center, TI Georgia, Sapari, Future Academy, Media Development Foundation and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED).
In addition, GD has accelerated its crackdown on political opposition this week, arresting and sentencing several pro-democracy leaders on politically motivated charges.
Simply put, democratic governments should not view organizations supporting independent media, combatting Kremlin propaganda, fighting corruption or supporting women and youth to be threats.
Just as these groups will protect the personal data of Georgian citizens and whistleblowers from government overreach, we will use our voices and legislation to stand with them.
To that end, we support advancing the bipartisan MEGOBARI Act as soon as the Senate calendar will allow.”
On 24 June, the US State Department expressed deep concern over the arrests of opposition politicians in Georgia and the persecution of individuals criticising the Georgian Dream government.
As State Department officials told the press service of Formula TV, Ivanishvili’s government is using legal amendments against its critics, thereby restricting freedom of expression.
