The files we follow: Armenia-Azerbaijan relations; Georgia between Russian influence and Western aspirations; Georgia/Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflict; South Caucasian energy, trade and transport issues; Human rights in the South Caucasus.
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Escalating repression and legislative crackdown in Georgia
In recent weeks, the political situation in Georgia has been marked by increasing repression against protesters, journalists and opposition figures. The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has stepped up its coercive measures ahead of a mass protest planned for 2 February. Two days before the event, parliament amended legislation to classify ‘state and internationally important highways’ as strategic facilities, effectively criminalising road blockades by demonstrators. This change in the law was followed by targeted arrests and house searches of activists, underlining the government’s pre-emptive crackdown on civil opposition.
On 4 February, the Georgian Parliament passed a series of repressive amendments to the law in its third reading, increasing the penalties for ‘insulting officials’ and ‘assaulting police officers’. The new provisions introduce prison sentences of up to three years for public incitement to violence, which were previously treated as administrative offences. GD parliamentary leader Mamuka Mdinaradze justified these measures by claiming that “the deep state’s attempt to overthrow the government continues”. These reforms are part of a wider strategy to restrict public freedoms, curb independent media and increase state control over public dissent.
Disproportionate use of force and arbitrary arrests
The 2 February protests were met with a violent crackdown, with over 40 people arrested, including opposition leaders and journalists, after they attempted to block the highway leading to Tbilisi.
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