"Georgian Dream" is Attempting to Remove Public’s Ability to Monitor the Actions of the Authorities
The aggressive campaign of "Georgian Dream" against local non-governmental organizations is fast approaching an alarming level. The Georgian Dream's attack on civil organizations aims to eliminate public oversight over the activities of the government, which is another clear manifestation of authoritarianism, an irreversible and damaging development for the system.
The "Georgian Dream" blocked the participation of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) in the working group created by the same party supposedly to fulfill the 12 prerequisite points defined for Georgia to receive the EU membership candidate status. This decision forced other NGOS to suspend their participation in the group in a show of solidarity to ISFED. The governing party, irritated by the decision, launched an attack on the civil sector in Georgia.
The attack by the chairperson of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze, on the competence and integrity of non-governmental organizations, their classification in different groups, and the creation of a blacklist of non-governmental organizations unacceptable to the government because of the position taken on European integration - which is the most important for the country's national interests - is nothing but an attempt by the Georgian Dream to neutralize public control over the activities of the government and to facilitate their own agenda.
The ruling party attacks those individuals and organizations that actively monitor the government's activities, criticize their harmful policies, call on the authorities to review their agenda and start taking concrete steps towards the developing Georgia and leading it towards European integration.
We believe that "Georgian Dream" is aware of the outcomes of their actions, however, their rhetoric and steps taken, it is deliberately trying to break all the levers that Georgia needs for its democratic development. Such decisions and statements are the reason the future of democratic development of Georgia gets dire with every new day, both in the eyes of the national and the international community. This regress is fully the responsibility of "Georgian Dream".
Signatories:
- Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI)
- Georgian Court Watch
- Transparency International - Georgia (TI)
- Open Society Foundation of Georgia (OSGF)
- Guardians of Democracy
- Media Development Fund
- Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC)
- European-Georgian Institute
- Rondeli Foundation, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies
- Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP)
- Atlantic Council of Georgia
- Georgian Reforms Association (GRASS)
- Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI)
- Rights Georgia
- Women for a Common Future (WECF) – Georgia
- Sapari
- Regional Network of Civil Activists
- The Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD)
- The Human Rights Center
- Group of Independent Lawyers
- Democracy Index - Georgia