Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, has come under sharp criticism for its recent legislative actions, with Amnesty International warning that the government was imposing severe restrictions on fundamental rights at an “alarming speed”.
Denis Krivosheev, Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, described the scale and pace of the new laws as unparalleled in the region.
“We work in this region and we have seen many parliaments that adopt draconian laws, but I don’t think I have ever seen, I don’t remember seeing a parliament that does it on this scale and so quickly, in such a short period of time,” Krivosheev said in an interview with Voice of America.
He accused the Georgian authorities of treating fundamental human rights as discretionary, asserting that the new legislation was in line with previous efforts to suppress dissent. According to Krivosheev, the laws “impose significant restrictions” on peaceful protests against the Government’s decision last year to halt EU integration until 2028 and free expression.
“We have seen attacks on the media, civil society, and everything that opposes their desire to control public space – it seems to be becoming a target of attack. We are concerned to see how they are tightening the rules that regulate things like public space and people’s right and ability to protest and exercise freedom of speech,” he added.
Amnesty International has also flagged concerns over increased fines and expanded bans on protests, describing them as selective and in violation of Georgia’s international commitments. The rights group warned that these measures represented a “significant rollback” of democratic freedoms in the country.
