Help pro-Ukraine protest in Georgia

It should come as no surprise that the Georgian government, which is fully controlled by Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, uses rhetoric similar to that used by the leaders of Russia and Belarus towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian government. Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili announced two days after the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Georgia will not join the sanctions imposed on Russia. The officials of the ruling party publicly admit that the outcome of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has already been decided, that sanctions against Russia are ineffective, and the West has abandoned Ukraine. The private jet which was supposed to fly Georgian volunteers to Ukraine to fight against Russia was denied to land in Tbilisi. The Georgian government sees export of Georgian products to the sanctioned Russia as a positive opportunity for the Georgian economy. At the same time, Georgia continues to accept the flow of Russian citizens under the visa-free regime. The Georgian Dream characterizes all citizens who question the government’s policies as Russophobes and accuses them of wanting to drag the country into a war, similiar to the Russian propaganda messages. As a result of Georgia's pro-Russian actions, the President of Ukraine, who is at the heart of the conflict, has summoned the country’s ambassador from Georgia. After all, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the sanctions related statements of the Georgian government “immoral.”

The Georgian people are well aware of the consequences of Russian aggression. Due to our Euro-Atlantic choices and aspirations, we paid the price with blood in 2008 and continue to do so. Almost every day, during the ongoing Russian military intervention in Ukraine, Georgians organize solidarity rallies in support of Ukraine. The entire world has observed how the position of Georgian people differs from the actions of the Georgian government. Tens of thousands in Tbilisi took to the streets to condemn the Russian aggression in Ukraine and raise their voices against the unjust statements of our government. The Ukrainian flags are erected in the streets of Tbilisi. People are collecting and sending humanitarian aid to the front line in Ukraine. All this did not go unnoticed by the President of Ukraine, who thanked the Georgian people via his Twitter account, saying: “Incredible Georgian people who understand that friends must be supported! Grateful to everyone in Tbilisi and other cities who came out in support of Ukraine and against the war. Indeed, there are times when citizens are not the Government, but better the Government.”

The ruling party chose to harshly punish the protest organizers and participants, similar to its past practice - punishment of citizens after heavy criticism of their pro-Russian rhetoric. Around 15 pro-Ukrainian activists were unlawfully detained at a gathering on March 7. Fifteen rally participants were imprisoned and placed in a temporary detention center for two days, who currently await for their trials. Activists might be sentenced to up to 14 days in prison and fined between 500 to 2000 USD. Despite the fact that the activists' arrest had no legal foundation and there was no evidence against them, the Georgian judiciary, which is controlled by the ruling party, is not anticipated to rule a fair outcome. According to the interior minister, the ruling party's goal is to exemplarily punish activists. They want to suppress the voice of Ukrainian solidarity in Tbilisi and silence the condemnation of their pro-Russian choices. The court fines are a significant burden for activists who work for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic future and peacefully oppose the pro-Russian government. The Shame Movement raises funds for future Ukraine solidarity demonstrations in addition to the unfairly imposed fines to activists.