Transparency International Georgia has raised serious concerns over what it describes as a sweeping campaign by the ruling Georgian Dream party to suppress dissent and tighten political control over the country’s public institutions. According to the organization, one of the central strategies employed by the ruling party to stifle growing protest movements is the politicization and restructuring of the public service sector.
The organization reports thay since December 2024, Georgian Dream has adopted four separate sets of amendments to the Law on Public Service, all of which significantly weaken the legal protections previously available to public servants. These changes effectively dismantle years of reform aimed at professionalizing the civil service, much of which had been carried out with support from international partners and was considered a crucial step towards European integration.
Transparency International (TI) Georgia says that around 700 public servants have been dismissed from dozens of government institutions on political grounds in the past few months. The wave of dismissals has affected a wide range of bodies, including the Ministry of Defense, Tbilisi City Hall, the National Agency of Public Registry, the Justice House, the Central Election Commission, and several municipal administrations. Notably, two institutions—the Parliamentary Research Center and the Civil Service Bureau—have been completely shut down.
In most cases, dismissals were justified by formal reasons such as reorganization or the expiration of contracts. However, Transparency International alleges that those targeted had publicly criticized the government’s decision to halt progress toward European integration or had signed public protest statements.
TI Georgia claims the new legal framework has eliminated key job security guarantees for public servants. Middle-level managers can now be dismissed without legal justification, with only three days’ notice. Competitive selection procedures for senior roles have been scrapped, and employees dismissed due to reorganization—even if the action is ruled unlawful—are entitled to only one month of back pay. Diplomatic staff, once considered lifetime public servants, can now be dismissed alongside their ministers.
Moreover, the amendments extend into the cultural and academic sectors. Artistic groups in professional theaters have been stripped of their right to participate in selecting theater directors, who can now be appointed or dismissed solely by the minister or mayor. Additionally, public servants will only be allowed to engage in academic or artistic work with written permission from their superiors.
Transparency International Georgia warns that these moves not only undermine democratic principles but also further isolate the country from its stated goal of European integration. The organization calls for international attention and pressure to halt what it describes as an ongoing campaign of political repression
