For your freedom and ours: Georgia at the edge of the abyss

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A call to action to all friends of Georgia

The pace of events following the parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 26th 2024, has stunned both Georgian society and international observers. The vote, marred by intimidation, vote-buying, abuse of state resources, and other fraudulent tactics, has plunged the country into a deep political crisis.

In open defiance of both public will and the Georgian constitution, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia’s pursuit of EU accession until 2028. Georgians rightly view this as a geopolitical declaration by the Georgian Dream party — a move that turns the country away from the values of the European Union and towards greater autocracy and Russia’s influence.

In recent weeks, Georgians from all walks of life have taken to the streets in peaceful protest, demanding accountability and defending their European future. While demonstrations have been concentrated on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue, they have also spread across the country, uniting towns, villages, and communities.

The government’s response has been brutal. Some 500 peaceful protesters have been arrested in crackdowns marked by arbitrary detentions, disproportionate force, and credible reports of torture. Journalists have been specifically targeted, and civil society representatives have been abducted far from protest sites. Police have stood by while black-clad thugs terrorized the city’s youth. State pressure on civil servants deemed “disloyal” is increasing daily. It is pure luck that no lives have been lost thus far.

Having visited Georgia, New Eastern Europe has heard first-hand accounts of this repression. Protesters bear visible wounds from detention, yet their determination remains steadfast.

The stakes are rising. With sanctions and diplomatic pressure only beginning to ramp up, time is running short to show solidarity. Further tensions are inevitable following the parliament’s election of Mikheil Kavelashvili as president and the planned enactment of a Russian-style “foreign agents’ law” in the new year. As the crisis deepens, the opposition may soon rally behind a last stand led by the incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili.

The West’s partnership with Georgia is not based on energy or economic interest but on shared values and the belief in a democratic, brighter future — for Georgia and for Europe.

Now is the time to act. We cannot allow Georgia to descend into authoritarian stagnation, enriching only a select few. The calls for help beyond the Black Sea are clear. We must answer them.

CALL TO ACTION — SOLIDARITY WITH GEORGIAN SOCIETY

By signing this letter, we express our unwavering solidarity with Georgian society and make the following appeals to leaders, friends, and partners:

1. To the global community and friends of Georgia: Share this open letter widely and amplify the voices of Georgian society;
2. To the Georgian authorities: Immediately end the arrests of peaceful protesters and release all individuals unjustly detained;
3. To policymakers in Western countries: Increase pressure on Georgian authorities to pursue a peaceful resolution that aligns with public expectations, including the option of snap elections;
4. To Western leaders: Travel to Georgia in a show of solidarity, meet with representatives of all sides, and actively encourage a peaceful, democratic resolution;
5. To citizens of the world: Support Georgian society’s struggle for freedom by donating to organizations providing aid and resources. A list of trusted charities and initiatives can be found here.

This is a call for action, solidarity, and hope. Georgia’s fight for freedom is our fight as well.

This letter was prepared by the Editorial Team of New Eastern Europe, and signed by the following signatories:

New Eastern Europe Publisher, Editorial Board and Editors:

Laurynas Vaičiūnas, Director of the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe in Wrocław, publisher of New Eastern Europe

Basil Kerski, Director of the European Solidarity Centre, publishing partner of New Eastern Europe

Georges Mink, College of Europe in Natolin

Rebecca Harms, Former Member of the European Parliament, Advisory Board of Center for Liberal Modernity

Cornelius Ochmann, Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation

Mykola Riabchuk, Honorary President of the Ukrainian PEN Center

Eugeniusz Smolar, Centre for International Relations Foundation

Jan Zielonka, Emeritus Fellow, University of Oxford

Adam Reichardt, Editor in Chief, New Eastern Europe

Iwona Reichardt, Deputy Editor in Chief, New Eastern Europe

Daniel Gleichgewicht, Editor, New Eastern Europe

Giorgi Beroshvili, Editorial Assistant, New Eastern Europe

First signatories:

Gian-Paolo Accardo, Voxeurop.eu

Jan Claas Behrends, ZZF/ Viadrina University

Janusz Bugajski, Jamestown Foundation

Krzysztof Czyżewski, Borderland Foundation

Sabine Fischer, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik Berlin

Pavel Havlicek, Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO) in Prague

Marcel H. Van Herpen, The Cicero Foundation

Professor Stephen Jones, Founder of  Program on Georgian Studies, Davis Center, Harvard University

Tomasz Kamusella, University of St Andrews

Robert Kindler, Freie Universität Berlin

Matthew Kott, Uppsala University

Alexander Lanoszka, University of Waterloo and the College of Europe, Natolin

Mirja Lecke, Prof. Dr. Slavic Studies, University of Regensburg, Germany

David Marples, University of Alberta, Canada

Mariusz Maszkiewicz, former Polish ambassador to Georgia

Markus Meckel, SDPZ

Igor Mitchnik, Austausch e.V.

James Nixey, Chatham House

Oliver Reisner, Ilia State University Tbilisi

Andreas Umland, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies

Prof. Dr. Matthias Theodor Vogt, Institut für kulturelle Infrastruktur Sachsen

Additional signatures (added regularly as new names sign on)

Eleanor Hammond, Economic Fundamentals Initiative

ariel rosé, poet

Magdalena Jankowska

Vitalii Rishko, Coordinator of the Ukraine Programme at Global Governance Institute (GGI)

Daniel R. Jarosak

Kamila Łabno-Hajduk, Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie

Martin Aust, University of Bonn

Professor Tomasz Tadeusz Koncewicz, University of Gdansk, Poland 

Nicholas Whyte former Europe Director, International Crisis Group; Visiting Professor, Ulster University

Mark Temnycky, Atlantic Council

Georgii Kalakutskii, Human Rights Advocate

Nina Panikova   

Iveri Kekenadze Gustafsson, Lund University, Sweden

Alessia Carrino

Mirjam Schmitz 

Megan

Dafne Gotink, Writer

Miguel Carvalho              

Arkadiusz Zając, Zakład Ukrainistyki UJ

Anastasiia Fishchenko, Care worker, volunteer in human rights project

Daniele Manca

Giorgi Benashvili, Associate Professor – Caucasus University

Aleksander Gleichgewicht, Human rights activist

Giorgi Katsitadze, Mercator by Citco

Johanna Laakso

Aureliusz M. Pędziwol, Deutsche Welle

Rafaella Perissinotto      

Juraj Hvorecký, CETE-P, Institute of Philosophy, Prague

Tomasz Mielnik, Film director

Akaki Rusetsky, University of Bonn

Annette Freyberg-Inan, University of Amsterdam

Camryn Greabell

PD Dr. Kirsten Bönker, Nordost-Institut an der Universität Hamburg (IKGN e.V.)

Tamta Elizarashvili          

Ottilie Tabberer, New Eastern Europe

Emily Forbes

Joanna Hyrnik

Samuel Abraham, Kritika&Kontenxt and BISLA

Lara Husar

Laszlo Gyorgy Weber, Hungary

Michel Vassilieff              

Katherina van Rooten    

Simone Chiusa  

Simone Vona, Dialogue for Understanding e.V.

andrea patrucco              

Benoît Forin       

Patrick Werly, University of Strasbourg France

Harry Fennell    

Daria Artiukhova             

Francesco Danieli            

Dávid András Barti          

Mikola Enukidze, MA Student at Jagiellonian University in Krakow

Sarah Weinreich              

Roberto Piorno Krause  

Grzegorz Majewski, Fundacja Wolność i Pokój

Talia Stark

Nikodem Szczygłowski, translator, publicist

Stanisława Budzisz Cysewska, Nowa Europa Wschodnia

Małgorzata Kopka-Piątek, Stowarzyszenie FemGlobal, Kobiety w polityce międzynarodowej

Valbona Karakaci, University Professor (Regional Advocacy Network)

Maciej Wnuk, maciejwnuk.pl

Marcel Krueger 

Merv Hammer

Irina Bukharkina, Austausch e.V.

Diana Van Imschoot, for democracy in Georgia

Sibylle Groß

Roman Elsner, Dialogue for Understanding

Radu Cornea, Student