Georgien zwischen Widerstand und Isolation
Due to the high number of registrations, there will also be a livestream via Zoom on site (Ilse-Zimmermann-Saal, Pariser Straße 1).
Following the revision of the law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” this spring, hundreds of thousands of Georgians took to the streets against the government’s policy. However, neither the peoples’ resistance nor president Salome Zourabichvili’s veto could defer Georgia’s ruling party “Georgian Dream” and its head Bidzina Ivanishvili from withdrawing this contentious law. Meanwhile, the peaceful mass protests continue. By now, they have reached all social levels, spreading from Georgia’s capital Tbilisi all across the country.
With the passing of the so-called “agent law,” Georgians are currently witnessing a historic change of course. The law exists in a similar form in Russia and other authoritarian states, it targets all civic actors, NGOs, independent media, and cultural institutions. Turning away from the European Union with its right-wing authoritarian politics, its hard mechanisms of repression against civil society, and its obscure conspiracy theories, the government is currently on the lookout for new allies such as China. In addition to the “agent law,” the government also profits from the so-called “off-shore law” which would to turn Georgia into a tax-free oasis.
What is the future of Georgia and its democracy? How will the current political course influence Georgia’s association with the EU? What responses can civil society deploy to counter autocratic politics? What importance to the upcoming elections in October have? These and other questions will be discussed in the panel discussion.
Panelists:
- Zaal Andronikashvili (Literary scholar, ZfL)
- Nino Haratischwili (Writer)
- Anna Margvelashvili (Historian, Soviet Past Research Laboratory)
- Michael Roth (Chairmann of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Bundestag)
Moderation: Irine Beridze (Literary and cultural scholar, FU Berlin)
This even is a cooperation between the Institute for East European Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin, the German Association for East European Studies, and the ZfL.
If you wish to participate in person, please register here.
To participate via Zoom, please register here.