Violent Civil Unrest in Georgia
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Georgia has experienced some of the worst civil unrest in its history in the last few weeks, as the country tries to work out whether its future lies with Russia or with the European Union. Our latest Traveller Insight looks at the background to the situation, and considerations for travellers to Georgia.
Foreign Agents
In April, the Georgian parliament passed the first draft of a law allowing the government to increase surveillance of foreign-funded NGOs and media. The law will require non-commercial organisations and news media companies receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”. The bill had already been attempted last year, but was abandoned amid widespread civil unrest.
Russia passed a similar law in 2012, and opponents to the Kremlin claim that it is used to crush dissent. The Georgian parliament is dominated by the pro-Russian party, Georgian Dream. Anti-Russian Georgian nationals see this legislation as authoritarian, which will allow the pro-Russian government to monitor many companies’ operations.
This bill is an important moment in the geopolitical path of Georgia. It comes as Georgia can either move politically closer to Europe, or return under the influence of Moscow. Opinion polls suggest that more than 80 percent of the population supports the bid for EU membership. Brussels gave Georgia EU candidate status in December, but has urged Tbilisi to drop the bill, or risk harming its chances of membership. Both Brussels and Washington have expressed concerns that it will stifle dissent and free speech. The general public is concerned this law will prevent Georgia being able to successfully apply for EU membership in future. As a result, demonstrations against the bill are become a larger, youth-led movement against the pro-Kremlin government. ?
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has rejected the criticism from Brussels. Kobakhidze claims that the legislation is necessary for “transparency and accountability”.?
Borders
The tense environment has been compounded by another issue with the Kremlin, this one relating to regional borders. Moscow has been helping the breakaway Georgian enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to set up hard borders with the rest of Georgia. Both these regions are Moscow-backed and claim independence from Tbilisi. The Russian military has been building barbed wire fences and guard towers to create physical borders and block the movement of people into Georgia. Those crossing the borders face detention, arrest, ill-treatment and even death, according to the Georgian government. There have also been reports of land confiscations, and of the separation of families on either sides of boundary lines. In April the European Court of Human Rights ruled that this was a violation of the European Charter of Human Rights by Moscow.
The development not only adds to the tensions between the Georgian population and Moscow, but is yet another issue on which the people and the government are in serious disagreement.?
Civil Unrest
Thousands of people protested in Tbilisi on 09 April after the first passage of the bill. Nightly protests have been ongoing in central Tbilisi since then. Demonstrators have processed through the city towards the Georgian Dream party headquarters, and around the parliament buildings on Shota Rustaveli Avenue.
20,000 protesters were reported on 17 April, blocking traffic on the main road in Tbilisi. On 28 April a “March for Europe”, comprising 20,000 pro-EU protesters, was held in First Republic Square. Hundreds of riot police officers have been deployed at each protest.
On 01 May, parliament approved the second reading of the bill, provoking the largest protests thus far, and the largest ever seen in Georgia. Georgian Dream reportedly bussed in supporters from outside in order to hold counter-demonstrations. Last Wednesday, 11 people were injured (including six police officers) and 63 arrested.
Protests have also been taking place in other major cities, including Batumi and Kutaisi, where transport and essential services are being disrupted.
?The police response has been violent. Riot police have been clearing crowds with tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon. Rubber baton rounds have caused some serious injuries. More than 100 people have been arrested since the start of the unrest. On 01 May, opposition leader Levan Khabeishvili was severely beaten: he appeared in parliament the following day in bandages with visible bruises.
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Looking Ahead
One protest organiser has told the media that another demonstration is planned for Saturday 11 May. On Friday 17 May, the final reading of the bill in parliament is scheduled, which will likely attract further unrest.
?The president, pro-EU Salome Zourabichvili, has vowed to veto the bill if it is passed. However, her term is scheduled to end this year. The next president will be chosen by a small electoral college in parliament, so will likely be more pro-Moscow.
Parliamentary elections in October will determine the balance of the legislature, which increases the likelihood of violent unrest around the elections. A new parliament also increases the possibility that the bill may be reintroduced again if it fails this year.
The scale of the protests has impacted operations, utilities and transport within the city of Tbilisi. There are concerns that foreign economies will be less inclined to invest in the city. As a result, there may be a longer-term economic impact on the Georgian private sector.
Security Advice
For contingency planning and for information on evacuation from Georgia, please contact [email protected]
For more analysis and assessment, please contact [email protected]?????????????????
by Jamie Thomson, MSyI Head of Risk Analysis, NGS.
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