German educated politicians undermine democracy in Georgia

Instead of an introduction – a quote from an open letter to four German professors, signed by dozens of Georgian lawyers, civil society representatives, and scholars:

"We [...] write to you today with a deep sense of concern. As you are undoubtedly aware, our nation is currently facing a profound crisis. A new, deeply repressive law threatens to severely curtail fundamental freedoms, while the divisive and aggressive rhetoric employed by our senior leadership undermines the very principles of democratic governance. […] We are particularly troubled by the fact that several key figures driving these troubling developments - our Prime Minister Dr. Irakli Kobakhidze (with Professor Morlok), Speaker of Parliament Dr. Shalva Papuashvili (with Professor Martinek), Minister of Justice Dr. Rati Bregadze (with Professor Luchterhand), and Head of the Legal Affairs Committee Dr. Anri Okhanashvili (with Professor Heger) - are all former doctoral students who studied under your esteemed guidance in Düsseldorf, Saarbrücken, Hamburg, and Berlin. At least some of our senior politicians studied with stipends generously financed by German citizens and foundations. […] We urge you to publicly condemn the repressive policies and anti-European rhetoric that are tearing at the fabric of our democracy."

Two of the mentioned professors in the meantime spoke out and indeed condemned the actions of their former students.

On 14 May, KAS together with the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) hosted a discussion of Georgian students with a high-ranking delegation of Chairmen of Foreign Affairs Committees and Members of Parliament of Germany (Michael Roth), Poland (Bogdan Klich), Lithuania (Žygimantas Pavilionis), Czech Republic (Pavel Fischer) and Finland (Sebastian Tynkkynen). Demonstrating their support for the pro-European protests and the engagement of Georgian students particularly, the Chairmen highlighted possible impacts of the current developments in Georgia on the European integration process of the country. During the discussion, the Chairmen encouraged the students to keep up and expand their active involvement in the social and political life to shape Georgia’s European future.

Large protests erupt after border delimitation agreement

After a border delimitation deal reached on 19 April led to Azerbaijan gaining control over four uninhabited settlements previously controlled by Armenia, protests of citizens in the northern Tavush region developed into major demonstrations against Prime Minister Pashinyan. A protest march led by Bagrat Galstanian, Archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, culminated in a rally with tens of thousands of participants in the center of Yerevan on 9 May. Demanding the resignation or impeachment of Pashinyan, protests continued in the following days, with police arresting dozens of participants. Confronted with the protests, the Armenian government suspended further border delimitation talks with Baku. 

Pashinyan and Putin meet in Moscow
Prime Minister Pashinyan arrived in Moscow on 8 May to chair a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union, where Armenia is currently holding the rotating presidency. Pashinyan did not participate in the Victory Day Parade on 9 May, but held a bilateral meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit. Both sides agreed on the partial withdrawal of the Russian border guards along the Armenian border with Azerbaijan. While the agreement includes a withdrawal of Russian forces from Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Russian troops will continue their presence on the Armenian borders with Türkiye and Iran. 

Yerevan stops financial contributions to Russian-led CSTO

On 8 May, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its decision to "refrain from [...] participating in the financing" of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for 2024. Armenia has been boycotting meetings and activities of the CSTO for more than a year, although formally remaining a member of the organization. While Yerevan continues to diversify its security policies with new defense cooperations with partners like Italy or Greece, the CSTO ponders a future special status for Armenia within the organization.     

Massive protests continue as "Foreign Agents Law" is adopted

Despite historically large protests in Tbilisi and throughout Georgia, the ruling Georgian Dream party adopted the "Foreign Agents Law" after the third reading in the parliament on 14 May. Large and peaceful demonstrations occurred on almost daily basis for several weeks. The protests were further fuelled by a speech of oligarch and de-facto ruler Bidzina Ivanishvili on 29 April, who took personal ownership of the law and propagated anti-Western conspiracy theories. Demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament and other locations and engaged in different forms of protests such as temporary blocking of key traffic junctions and a university boycott by students. 

Authorities resort to violence to crack down on protests and individuals

Amid the unprecedented wave of demonstrations, Georgian authorities applied excessive force, trying to intimidate and wear down protesters. Besides the frequent use of tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse large gatherings, unidentifiable thugs on the side of the authorities engaged in brutal beatings and arbitrary arrests of protesters. Representatives of the opposition and civil society were targeted with smear campaigns, harassment and threats through phone calls as well as physical assaults.   

President announces veto as Western leaders condemn "Foreign Agents Law"

President Salome Zourabichvili assured the public of her veto against the law and is widely expected to act accordingly within the next 14 days, after which the ruling party is likely to overrule her veto in the parliament. Western leaders strongly condemned the violence and the adoption of the law and warned about looming consequences. High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell on 15 May urged the Georgian Dream party to "withdraw the law". US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien while visiting Tbilisi on 14 May indicated possible sanctions against oligarch Ivanishvili as well as "the individuals responsible [...] and their families", if the law will enter into effect.

Parliament passes controversial "Offshore Law"

In the shadow of the turmoil around the "Foreign Agents Law", the ruling party on 19 April passed amendments to the Georgian tax code. The bill includes tax exemptions for individuals and companies who transfer their financial and material assets from tax havens into Georgia. Critics assume the bill is designed to support oligarch Ivanishvili in evading looming Western sanctions and would turn Georgia into a hub for dirty money. President Zourabichvili on 3 May vetoed this so-called "Offshore Law", claiming it "contradicts Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations". The veto is likely to be overruled by the parliamentary majority of the Georgian Dream.

Russian military withdraws from Nagorno-Karabakh

Confirming reports from Azerbaijani media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on 17 April announced the full withdrawal of Russian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh. The withdrawal implies a premature end to the Russian "peacekeeping" mandate that was installed as part of the ceasefire agreement after the Second Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020.   

Ibadoghlu transferred to house arrest as crackdown on civil society continues
Amid worsening health, prominent scholar and activist Gubad Ibadoghlu was released into house arrest on 22 April, after spending nine months in pre-trial detention on charges widely considered to be arbitrary. On 18 April, Azerbaijani authorities detained Imran Aliyev, founder of an independent parliamentary watchdog platform. 

Azerbaijan ranked 164th on 2024 World Press Freedom Index

According to the annual World Press Freedom Index released on 3 May by the global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, Azerbaijan is among the countries with the highest level of repressions against press freedom. Dropping 13 places compared to last year, Azerbaijan is now ranked 164th out of 180 countries. While Georgia registered an even worse decline, falling 26 places to 103rd position worldwide, Armenia improved from the 49th (2023) to the 43rd position (2024).