The situation in Georgia is dramatic, but I did not come here for sympathy. Now we are in a decisive battle to protect our sovereignty, independence and democratic future. We are not going to back down! Eka Gigauri, the Head of the “Transparency International – Georgia”, said this in her speech at a hearing held in the US Senate, where the topic of discussion is “laws against non-governmental organizations and other tools of repression directed against democracy”.

“The trend of introducing restrictive laws on non-governmental organizations in various countries of the world is alarming. These laws were first introduced in Russia by the Putin regime, resulting in a consolidated autocracy. In countries like Georgia, along with the adoption of these types of laws, autocratic rulers begin to act against the will of the majority of the population - at the same time reinforcing Russian anti-Western disinformation, at the same time tearing down society and undermining partnerships with the US and the European Union.

If the Georgian democracy is defeated and the country falls under the Russian orbit again, it will destroy the chances of democratic development in the eastern and southern neighborhood of Georgia. Geopolitically, this means that Russia will continue to mark us as a backyard and turn us into its sphere of influence.

In Russia, the tried-and-true autocratic goals are simple: suppress critical voices, close civil space, and suppress free media. Anti-Non-Government legislation, disguised with a false facade of legality, is a very handy tool for achieving these goals.

In Georgia, this process took place in three stages:

First phase: preparing the ground for legalizing repression. It all started with a massive coordinated discrediting campaign against civil society, the US Agency for Development (USAID) and American organizations supporting democracy. Along with other colleagues, my family members and I have been the target of verbal attacks and intimidation by senior officials.

Second phase: Adoption of the law in spite of public opposition - Despite the public uproar, clear warnings from American and European friends, the law was passed anyway. The authorities continued the coordinated disinformation campaign using Russian methods, where they present the civil society and international friends as a “global war party” willing to destabilize Georgia. The government went on an openly anti-American track and questioned the strategic partnership with the West.

Third phase: enforcement of Russian law. Now, parallel to this conversation, the third phase of law enforcement has started in Georgia.

The situation in Georgia is dramatic, but I did not come here for sympathy. Now we are in a decisive battle to protect our sovereignty, independence and democratic future. We are not going to back down!

We are not alone in this struggle. Georgian people are supported by American and European friends. They talk to the Georgian autocrats with clear messages. They encourage those who defend democracy. Georgians are well aware that freedom does not come easily and it needs to be earned - our entire history is full of examples of such struggle and sacrifice. With the help of America and its allies, we have already built a developing democracy in this part of the world, and I believe that with your support, we will still win in style!”, - said Eka Gigauri.