“Political leaders shouldn’t fear the Georgian people. Georgian civil society are fiercely independent actors,” Shaheen wrote on X. "The Georgian Dream fast tracking another draft law to stifle NGO operations is one more step away from the democratic future the Georgian people want. Political leaders shouldn’t fear the Georgian people. Georgian civil society are fiercely independent actors." -@SenatorShaheen https://t.co/2ZH0vrj4gY — Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) April 16, 2025 The Parliament has urgently considered and approved a legislative package in the third reading, after which international donor organizations will no longer be able to issue grants without the consent of the government. The same bill prohibits international organizations from organizing lectures, seminars or other similar public events in favor of political parties.80 deputies unanimously supported the approval of the planned amendments to the Law on Political Associations of Citizens, the Law on Grants and other related laws.

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“It is a great honor and responsibility for us to hold this forum in Baku – a city that unites countries with rich culture, history and traditions and at the same time plays an important role in modern politics,” Sattarov noted.Regarding bilateral cooperation, he noted Azerbaijan’s interest in developing ties with Albania, Bulgaria and Georgia.“Georgia is not just a neighbor and strategic partner, it is a bridge in the Black Sea region,” he noted, and proposed deepening cooperation in the field of media regulation.The forum is attended by about 30 authorized representatives of media regulatory bodies from countries in the region, including Serbia, Romania, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Moldova, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

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The sanction list includes the country's first deputy minister of internal affairs Shalva Bedoidze, for allegedly being responsible for allowing serious human rights violations.It has also sanctioned Mirza Kezevadze, deputy head of the special tasks department of internal affairs ministry, general prosecutor Giorgi Gabitashvi and Karlo Katsitadze, head of the special investigatory service.According to the information posted on the UK government, this package of sanctions is aimed at Georgian officials responsible for committing serious human rights violations under the 2020 Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulation.The sanctions include an asset freeze, a director disqualification sanction, and a travel ban.Reminder, Mirza Kezevadze has been included in the "Magnitsky List". Information about this was published on the website of the US Treasury Department on December 19, 2024.

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The Resolution on “The situation in Georgia and follow-up actions to the resolution on ‘“Challenge, on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary delegation of Georgia” gained the support of 89 members of the Assembly, three were against, while five abstained.The document outlines certain conditions that the Georgian authorities are being asked to fulfil.• Holding new parliamentary elections;• Release of political prisoners;• In addition, the Georgian Dream delegation to PACE was recognized with only limited rights and given a “probationary period” until April 2025.In response, the Georgian Dream party suspended its work in the Assembly. Accordingly, members of the delegation from Georgia were neither in the hall nor in the Assembly today.

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“The first visit to Azerbaijan will be on April 14-15, then to Armenia, presumably at the end of the month. The dates have not yet been determined,” he said in the Public Broadcaster’s podcast “42nd Parallel.”On March 20, it became known that Luka Ekhvaia had been appointed as Mikheil Kavelashvili’s advisor on international relations.Luka Ekhvaia considers the US's termination of strategic cooperation with Georgia to be "a big step on the path to decolonization"; he also states that Georgia needs to be included in the regional "3+3" format.

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Previously, Beraia served as Deputy Minister of Justice. Born on July 23, 1976, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in 1998. From 2016 to 2025, he was a member of the 9th, 10th, and 11th convocations of the Parliament of Georgia. Before entering politics, he had a successful career in the banking sector, according to the Ministry of Finance.

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During a briefing at the Government Administration, the Prime Minister announced that Okhanashvili’s candidacy would be presented to the parliament for consideration.Anri Okhanashvili brings extensive experience to the role, having served as the Minister of Justice for several years and previously as Chair of the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee. He holds a PhD in law from Humboldt University of Berlin, marking him as a leading expert in his field.According to Kobakhidze, the Regional Development Ministry is set to be established as an independent institution, separate from the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, with Grigol Liluashvili designated as its head. Currently serving as the Head of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), Liluashvili will transition into this new role.“Paata Salia will assume the position of Justice Minister,” Irakli Kobakhidze said.“Paata Salia is currently an acting member of parliament and is recognized as one of the most accomplished lawyers in Georgia. With a robust educational background in law from both Georgia and the United States, I wish him great success as he takes on this new role,” the Prime Minister stated.

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During the voting session, Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili stated, "A law identical to the American standard has been adopted."The final version of the law is titled the "Foreign Agents Registration Act." Alongside it, amendments to the Criminal Code have also been approved.The law regulates the registration of entities as foreign principals’ agents, with its enforcement assigned to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.Under the Georgian Dream-proposed legislation, the terms foreign principal’s agent and foreign power are defined. The bill regulates the following issues: The process for applying for registration as a foreign principal’s agent and ensuring the transparency of related documents. The obligation for registered foreign principal’s agents to submit an annual financial declaration. The procedures for deregistering an entity as a foreign principal’s agent. The monitoring process to identify foreign principal’s agents and verify compliance with the law’s requirements.Failure to register as a foreign principal’s agent or non-compliance with the law’s provisions will result in criminal liability.

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According to him, a Government Efficiency Department will be created, which will ensure control over the implementation of decisions at all levels of executive government.As Levan Zhorzholiani noted, communication has also been established with the State Audit Office, where real-time audit will be implemented."A department will be created in the government administration, the internal audit service will become the Government Efficiency Department. We have also spoken with the State Audit Office, where real-time audit will be implemented. While previously audits were conducted for past years, now it will be possible for the State Audit Office to make assessments regarding ongoing projects. I think this will greatly benefit the efficient spending of budget funds, as well as facilitate taking more effective steps in any field, be it energy direction, property management, or any other. One of the main principles of our governance is transparency and accountability, and the creation of this new mechanism serves to strengthen these two fundamental principles," - stated Levan Zhorzholiani.

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The resolution, supported by 101 members with 10 against, expresses deep concern over democratic backsliding and weakening human rights in the country. It highlights growing societal polarization and the adoption of legislation that contradicts Council of Europe standards.“Over the past two years has had an increasingly negative impact on local democracy in Georgia. This has intensified in the aftermath of the 2024 parliamentary elections, which were rejected by all opposition parties, as well as domestic and some international election observers, notably due to concerns over their integrity, and following the decision to halt Georgian EU accession on 28 November 2024,” the resolution reads.It also notes that “following the highly controversial adoption of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) adopted in first reading, NGOs and dissenting voices in the media, which work under increasingly challenging conditions, have been increasingly subjected to intimidation and stigmatisation. This undermines their freedom of association and freedom of expression. In a democratic society, freedom of expression must be protected, supported and promoted irrespective of whether it is critical of the government, and even if it is influenced by international discourse.The brutal repression of peaceful protesters and opponents by law-enforcement authorities in many cities, and particularly in the capital city of Tbilisi, has violated both the freedoms of expression and assembly. Moreover, freedom of assembly in Georgia has been negatively affected by recent amendments to legislation that increase sanctions and offences related to public demonstrations, which according to the Venice Commission introduced “vague and broadly framed provisions, granting the authorities [including local authorities] excessively broad discretion in their application”. This situation has forced local authorities to take decisions that do not comply with democratic standards.The instrumentalisation of public institutions, including at local level, has resulted in numerous reports of dismissals, intimidation and pressure on civil servants. This has been facilitated by the adoption of amendments to the Law on Public Service.”It also addresses concerns expressed in recent reports by international and local observers “regarding the politicisation of public administration, widespread misuse of administrative resources and pressure on voters during electoral campaigns, which unduly tilt the playing field between candidates and distort the will of voters.”“The legal framework applicable to local elections in Georgia has been amended more than 20 times since the last elections, without extensive consultations and broad consensus. This is not in line with the principle of stability of electoral law. The amendments have moreover reinforced the dominant position of the ruling party in the Central Election Commission, undermining its independence, and have also wound back fundamental rules pertaining to the electoral system, gender quotas and the establishment of electoral districts.It notes with concern that these serious shortcomings and challenges affecting the respect of democracy, rule of law and human rights have led to a collapse in public confidence in democratic institutions for large parts of the Georgian population, and notably the young people, and damaged local democracy, which is not conducive to holding the 2025 local elections in a trust-based environment; in fact, it risks exacerbating the situation,” the document reads.

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