Students and intellectuals have been at the forefront of the ongoing anti-government protests in Georgia. This reflects a long tradition of resistance that stretches back to the earliest days of the country’s modern history.

Georgia is currently experiencing one of the most significant waves of protests in its recent history. The intensity of the protests, the high stakes involved and the repression by the authorities evoke comparisons to the 2020 protests in Belarus. However, how similar are these protests, and what can be said about the responses from the Georgian authorities, the European Union and other international actors?

The recent protests in Georgia have seen widespread mobilization across the country, with demonstrators employing various tactics to express their discontent with the government's decision to suspend accession talks with the European Union. In Tbilisi, the capital, tens of thousands of protesters have gathered for consecutive nights, waving Georgian and EU flags while chanting slogans like "Russian slaves" at law enforcement officers.

Tbilisi and Yerevan’s attempts to move closer to bodies like the EU and NATO are by no means a modern phenomenon. Sharing a rich cultural heritage closely tied to the continent, both Georgia and Armenia have been forced to adapt to numerous outside attempts to sever this link to Europe.

The unrest that erupted in Georgia following the recent parliamentary elections shows no sign of ending. As the Georgian Dream government comes under increasing pressure, the country now stands at a crossroads regarding not only its democracy but also its place in the world.

It is hard to believe the shift in Georgia and Moldova’s prospects for accession. While Chisinau has emerged from a long period of uncertainty to champion the EU cause, Tbilisi is rapidly losing momentum in its negotiations. The reason for this change lies in two clearly contrasting governments.

New Eastern Europe received this open letter from one of our contributors based in Georgia. We are republishing it here in support of Georgian society and in an effort to help raise awareness of the situation that is taking place there.

An interview with Heidi Tagliavini, head of the independent international fact-finding mission into the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war. Interviewer: Vazha Tavberidze

In a vote marred by irregularities, manipulation and fraud, the Georgian Dream party recently secured its fourth consecutive term in power. The election was quickly dubbed a Russian “special operation” by the opposition. However, the autocratic ways of Georgian Dream are long in the making and a homegrown phenomenon.

After a weekend of turbulent elections, tens of thousands of Georgians flooded the streets of Tbilisi. Opposition leader and President Salomé Zourabichvili claims her country is “the victim of a special operation by Putin”.

The region is currently experiencing a wave of elections that could prove pivotal for the future of various countries. If the West is to properly halt Russian designs concerning these events, it must offer a comprehensive plan to both political parties and civil society to strengthen and maintain democratic values in the area.

The West’s failure to support Georgian democracy would have profound implications for its credibility. It would suggest an unwillingness or inability to stand by its allies and support civil movements, potentially leading other pro-western nations to reassess their alliances.

From Russia to Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia to Hungary, “foreign agent” style laws have become a preferred instrument for authoritarians to extinguish critical voices, shield their rule from scrutiny and strengthen their hold on power.

By stigmatizing independent civil society, media and other dissenting voices as “trojan horses”, “foreign agent” laws have offered a convenient framing to delegitimize and isolate them. In addition, they have also helped to impose harsh monitoring and reporting requirements and shut critics out of public life. As the promotion of democratic practices and human rights threatens authoritarians’ grip on power, foreign agent laws offer a handy tool to discredit these activities by equating them with promoting the interests of a foreign power.