The ruling Georgian Dream, which has not yet adopted the Russian Law on so-called Foreign Agents, has already started repression against investigative journalists and representatives of public organizations. Overnight, insulting, defamatory, threatening, and inciting posters were put up near their homes and offices.
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The target of the Georgian Dream campaign was the online publication Mtis Ambebi/Georgian News’ editor-in-chief, Gela Mtivlishvili, who has already applied to the Special Investigation Service with a request to start an investigation. As he says, the goal of the government is to silence and intimidate people who oppose the Russification of Georgia.
Agents Headquarters – this inscription was found by employees of the investigative studio Monitor. A poster with the image of Monitor editor-in-chief Nino Zuriashvili was also pasted on the door.
“After my family members and I received abusive phone calls yesterday, we learned this morning that strangers put up posters on the walls of our office saying that we are "grant eaters" who use foreign money to prevail lies. Anyway we say #NotoRussianlaw which is already in action,” Tamar Kintsurashvili, the head of theMedia Development Foundation, wrote on social network X and published a video showing dozens of posters with her image on the walls.
On the night of May 8-9, unknown individuals visited the office of the Center for Multiparty Democracy of Eastern Europe. The executive director of this non-governmental organization, Levan Tsutskiridze, has spoken at rallies against the Russian Law many times.
“They've put up these posters on the windows of our office in Tbilisi, saying we are "traitors," "slaves of foreign money" and the like. We are not afraid, these posters will go, they will go, and we will prevail. #NotoRussianLaw,” Tsutskiridze writes.
Civil activist Nata Peradze published footage captured by a video surveillance camera showing several men pasting posters on the fence and gate of her house at dawn. Additionally, the inscription Enemy of the Nation is written on Nata Peradze's car. The activist tried to call the police for several hours without success.
"These acts of intimidation against researchers, activists, and civil society in Georgia have reached a whole new level. It is not only disgusting and inhumane but also dangerous because it publicly calls for violence against individuals," - this is how MEP Viola von Cramon responded to the hate campaign.
At the same time as posting posters, opponents of the Russian Law were also physically attacked last night. Unknown individuals assaulted National Movement member Dimitri Chikovani, Chavchavadze Center researcher Gia Japaridze, and one of the organizers of the rallies, biker Lasha Gvinianidze.
On May 7, in Tbilisi, the director of the non-governmental organization Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information, Giorgi Klidiashvili, and the film crew of Formula were attacked. On May 5, in Lanchkhuti, an active participant in protests against the Russian Law, teacher Lado Abkhazava, and his son were beaten. The prosecutor's office charged one person with physical violence, although Abkhazava said that two people participated in the attack. On May 3, in Tbilisi, youths participating in the protest were physically assaulted, and no arrests were made by the Internal Affairs Ministry. Additionally, in recent days, unknown individuals have been contacting private phone numbers, cursing and threatening citizens, including journalists, civil activists, and students who are actively opposing the Russian Law.
