Public Discrediting or Stigmatization of Activists

ჯგუფი “გამოუვალი მდგომარეობა” და ევროკავშირის წარმომადგენლობა საქართველოში, კოორდინირებული დისკრედიტაციის კამპანიის სამიზნეები გახდნენ

ჯგუფი “გამოუვალი მდგომარეობა” კოორდინირებული დისკრედიტაციის კამპანიის სამიზნე გახდა მას შემდეგ, რაც მონაწილეობა მიიღო ევროპის დღის აღნიშვნაში, რომელიც საქართველოში ევროკავშირის წარმომადგენლობის ორგანიზებით გაიმართა. დისკრედიტაციული გზავნილები ვრცელდებოდა თავად საქართველოში ევროკავშირის წარმომადგენლობისა და ევროკავშირის ელჩის მისამართითაც. მთავარი წყარო პროსამთავრობო მედია და ასევე, ‘ქართულ ოცნებასთან” დაკავშირებული პირები იყვნენ.

ევროპის დღე წელს 10 ოქტომბერს, კახეთში, მეღვინეობა “მოსმიერში” აღინიშნა. ღონისძიებას ესწრებოდნენ ევროკავშირის წევრი ქვეყნების ელჩები, დიპლომატიური მისიების თანამშრომლები, ევროკავშირის მიერ დაფინანსებული პროექტების წარმომადგენლები და ადგილობრივი მოსახლეობა. საქართველოს ხელისუფლების წარმომადგენლები ღონისძიებას არ დასწრებიან. ევროპის დღე მრვალფეროვან ღონისძიებებს მოიცავდა და ჯგუფ “გამოუვალი მდგომარეობის” კონცერტით დასრულდა.

10-12 ოქტომბერს, ამ ღონისძიებას, დისკრედიტაციის კოორდინირებული კამპანია მოჰყვა “ქართული ოცნების”, პროსამთავრობო მედიისა და მათთან დაკავშირებული პირების მხრიდან. ამ კამპანიით, ჯგუფი “გამოუვალი მდგომარეობა” დაადანაშაულეს ხელისუფლების მხარდამჭერების შეურაცხყოფაში, პაველ ჰერჩინსკი კი დიპლომატიური ნეიტრალიტეტის დარღვევაში. ასევე, ევროპის დღის ღონისძიება ხელისუფლების წინააღმდეგ მიმართულ პოლიტიკურ აქციად შეაფასეს.

“ღმერთმა შეარგოს ცეკვა და მოლხენა. მადლობას არ ვითხოვთ. უბრალოდ გაიაზროს, რომ მისთვის რომ დაგვეჯერებინა, ალბათ, ევროკავშირის ელჩიც არ იქნებოდა საქართველოში, ევაკუირებული იქნებოდა, – განაცხადა საქართველოს პარლამენტის თავმჯდომარემ შალვა პაპუაშვილმა.

„ზედიზედ მეორედ მიიწვიეს ისეთი შემსრულებელი, რომელიც გამოირჩევა ჩვენი მხარდამჭერების მიმართ შეურაცხმყოფელი განცხადებებით, რაც ძალიან სამწუხაროა, – ეს განცხადება პრემიერ-მინისტრს, ირაკლი კობახიძეს ეკუთვნის. (“ოლე – ოლა” საპროტესტო სიმღერაა და ის “ქართულ ოცნებას” განსაკუთრებით აღიზიანებს”.
“ყველაფერი ვიცით, ვინ რას წარმოადგენს და საიდან იმართებიან, – ასე უპასუხა თბილისის მერმა, კახა კალაძემ სამტავრობო მედიის ჟურნალისტის მხრიდან „ევროპის დღე 2026“-ზე ჯგუფ „გამოუვალი მდგომარეობის“ მონაწილეობასთან დაკავშირებით დასმულ შეკითხვას.
“როცა საზოგადოების მაგინებელ მომღერლებს ფულს უხდი და ახალისებ, მიდიხარ და ეუბნები, რომ თურმე მილიონობით ადამიანის გინება – თუნდაც სიმღერით – მაღალი ხელოვნებაა… ამხელა რანგის ადამიანი, პირდაპირი გაგებით, ტინგიცობ ამ მაგინებელი ადამიანების კონცერტზე – რა თქმა უნდა, ამას არ გაატარებს ქართული საზოგადოება”, – ეს განცხადება ფსევდო ოპოზიციის, “ხალხის ძალის” დეპუტატს, გურამ მაჭარაშვილს ეკუთვნის.
“სიმბოლურია ამ ჯგუფის მიწვევა, რადგან „მდგომარეობა, რომელშიც ჰერჩინსკი და მისი უფროსები არიან, ნამდვილად გამოუვალია“ – ეს კი პარტიის „ერთიანი ნეიტრალური საქართველო“ს აღმასრულებელი მდივნის, ვატო შაქარიშვილის პოსტია სოციალურ ქსელში. ეს გზავნილი რამდენჯერმე განმეორდა “ქართულ ოცნებასთან” დაკავშირებული პირების პოსტებში.
“ევროკავშირის წარმომადგენლობამ თავის ღონისძიებაზე მაინცდამაინც “გამოუვალი მდგომარეობა” რომ მიიწვია, ეს ხომ უბრალო მუსიკალური არჩევანი არ არის?.. მართლაც რომ გამოუვალ მდგომარეობაში არიან”, – დაწერა სოციალურ ქსელში პროპაგანდისტული მედია POSTV-ის თანამშრომელმა ლიზა გეგეჭკორმა.

ეს განცხადებები, ორი დღის განმავლობაში ვრცელდებოდა პროსამთავრობო მედიებში.

ეს არ არის პირველი შემთხვევა, როდესაც მმართველ პარტიასტან დაკავშირებული აქტორები პროტესტში ჩართული ხელოვანების, ასევე, დასავლური ინსტიტუტების დისკრედიტაციას ცდილობენ. ცოტა ხნის წინ, ამგვარი კოორდინირებული თავდასხმის სამიზნე იყო მუსიკოსი ალექსანდრე კორძაია, რომელიც, იძულებლი გახდა ჩაეშალა დაგეგმილი კონცერტი.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili Engages in Discrediting Representatives of the NGO Sector

Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili referred to the NGO sector as an enemy of Georgia, and described the pro-European protest rallies as anti-Georgian rallies.

“Find out who funded this specific anti-Georgian rally, who gave money to GYLA and Baia Pataraia — as soon as you find the source of the money, you will see who is hostile to Georgia!” Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili made this statement in response to the OSCE conference held in Warsaw, which was attended by Tamar Oniani, head of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, and Baia Pataraia, head of Sapari. Baia Pataraia attended the meeting with a protest banner.

OSCE participating States responded to the incident. They reminded Shalva Papuashvili of the code of conduct of participating States. “We are concerned by comments made regarding the participation of Georgian civil society representatives in this conference, as well as by reports received from various human rights defenders participating in the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. We once again emphasize the importance of safe participation in OSCE events, free from any retaliation,” said the representative of Switzerland, the OSCE Chairpersonship.

Pro-Government Media Covered the Visit of Civil Society Representatives to Strasbourg in a Discrediting Manner

The pro-government media outlet TV Imedi covered the visit of Nino Dolidze, Giorgi Burjanadze, and Giorgi Oniani to Strasbourg. According to available information, they met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset.

In the Kronika report, the visit was covered in a discrediting context and described as a “familiar scenario” and an action “against one’s own country.” The report stated that, based on their comments made in media outlets “acceptable to them,” the topic of the meeting with Alain Berset was again “sanctions and punitive mechanisms.”

A similar narrative was disseminated by other pro-government media outlets as well, including POSTV. In these materials, the visit and international meetings of civil society representatives were again portrayed as actions directed against the country and as an attempt to support sanctions.

Such coverage portrays the international advocacy of civil society representatives as action directed against the country. The material repeats a narrative according to which the activities of critical civic actors are directed not toward democratic processes and the protection of human rights, but toward harming the state.

Discrediting Rhetoric against Civil Society and Protest Participants Continues

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili made discrediting statements about Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia. The statements were later disseminated as cards on the Facebook page of the pro-government TV channel Imedi.

According to Shalva Papuashvili, “no one asks Eka Gigauri anything” and she “carries out tasks given to her from outside.” Papuashvili also said: “If you find out who funds this person, you will find out who is hostile to Georgia.”

Irakli Kobakhidze referred to Eka Gigauri’s organization as a “party appendage” and stated that it “was never either non-governmental or an NGO.”

In addition, another statement by Kobakhidze concerned the discrediting of the ongoing protest. He referred to the protest as the “so-called protest of the radicals’ agency” and described its continuation as “sectarianism.”

Such statements by high-ranking officials and their dissemination as cards repeat a narrative that portrays critical civil society organizations and protest participants not as independent civic actors, but as groups acting under external influence or in line with party interests. Such messages can be assessed as part of the ongoing discrediting campaign against Eka Gigauri, Transparency International Georgia, and participants of the pro-European protest.

A Statement Aimed at Discrediting Participants of the Pro-European Protest Was Disseminated on Imedi’s Broadcast

On the pro-government TV channel Imedi’s program Open Air, a former GIPA student stated that she left the university because, according to her, lecturers forced students to attend rallies and awarded them grades in return.

Imedi also shared this segment of the program on social media with the following text: “Former GIPA student: GIPA lecturers forced us to attend rallies, and we received grades for it.”

The dissemination of a statement with this content should be assessed as part of the ongoing discrediting campaign against participants of the pro-European protest and activists, as it creates the impression that students’ participation in rallies was driven not by an independent civic position, but by personal

Educational Seminar Held in Bakhmaro Became a Target of Criticism and Discrediting by Pro-Government Media and Government Representatives

An educational seminar organized by the Tbilisi School of Political Studies was held in Bakhmaro. According to available information, the seminar was held with the support of the Council of Europe and was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, including EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński.

Pro-government media outlet Imedi covered the seminar in the context of the Law on Grants and focused on whether the organization and funding of the seminar had received state approval.

The Tbilisi School of Political Studies was established as a non-governmental organization in 1999. The school operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe and is headed by politician Armaz Akhvlediani.

High-ranking officials also commented on the matter. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili called the seminar a “political project” and said that if the project is funded by the Council of Europe, it should be clarified whether it had government approval. Papuashvili also linked the seminar to Armaz Akhvlediani’s political activities and said that the Council of Europe Office in Georgia has questions to answer on this issue.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also commented on the seminar. According to him, “everyone must respect Georgian legislation, including legislation on transparency.” Kobakhidze said the authorities would look into the matter and, if relevant circumstances are established, there would be a legal response.

On 21 September, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili again spoke about the seminar organized by the Tbilisi School of Political Studies at a briefing held in Parliament. Papuashvili called Armaz Akhvlediani a “radical opposition figure” and voiced accusations against the Council of Europe Office in Georgia. According to him, the case may involve circumvention of the law, which the State Audit Office will examine.

On the same day, the State Audit Office announced that its Department of Political Finance Monitoring had launched monitoring into the alleged receipt of a grant by NNLE “Union Tbilisi School of Political Studies” without the approval of the Government of Georgia.

According to the agency, in examining the matter, it will act within the powers granted by Georgian legislation, including the Law of Georgia on Grants. The State Audit Office says that, as part of the monitoring, it will carry out all necessary actions gradually and sequentially, including questioning persons who may have information related to the matter and reviewing all relevant documentation.

Amendments to the Law on Grants were adopted by Georgian Dream on 16 April 2025. Under the amendments, a grant issuer must apply to the Government of Georgia to obtain approval for issuing a grant, while a grant recipient that receives a grant without approval will be fined twice the amount of the grant. The amendments also granted additional powers to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, including the authority to request financial reports, question individuals, and request special categories of personal data. Civil society criticized the amendments, stating that the law aims to leave “citizens face to face with the ruling party’s punitive system” and to restrict international support.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili Makes Discrediting Remarks about Pro-European Protest Detainees

Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili referred to 72 persons detained during the 2024–2025 protests and currently in custody as “prisoners of shamelessness.”

The Parliament Speaker published the statement on social media. He said that the detainees are victims of the politicians and organizers who pushed them toward radical actions, then failed to take responsibility for the situation that followed and abandoned them.

According to Papuashvili, the term that most accurately describes these people is “prisoners of shamelessness.”

Georgian Dream MP Disseminated a Discrediting Statement against Opposition Parties and NGOs

Georgian Dream MP Levan Machavariani disseminated a discrediting statement on social media targeting opposition parties, non-governmental organizations, and activists. Machavariani refers to them as “agent-run opposition parties,” “wealthy NGOs,” and “ultra-leftist, pseudo-liberal activists.” According to him, they serve “foreign patrons” and “several ambassadors inside the country,” while their agenda is the “constant destabilization of Georgia,” “sabotage,” “destabilization,” and “harmful activity.”

In the statement, the MP accuses opposition parties, NGOs, and activists of attempting to “organize a revolution” in recent years, acting against the country, discrediting the Church and clergy, and supporting “LGBT propaganda.” Machavariani also calls them “people without a homeland” and says they “owe an apology” to society.

Such rhetoric by a Georgian Dream representative can be assessed as a continuation of the ongoing discrediting campaign against civil society, opposition parties, and critical activists. Formulations about “agents,” “foreign patrons,” “people without a homeland,” and “harmful activity” aim to undermine the legitimacy of critical groups, portray their activities as anti-state, and reinforce a hostile environment toward them.

Another Discrediting Card against Non-Governmental Organizations Was Disseminated on a Facebook Page Affiliated with Georgian Dream

A card was disseminated on a Facebook page affiliated with Georgian Dream, in which non-governmental organizations are again referred to as “foreign-funded NGOs.” The card uses a statement by Amiran Salukvadze, in which he refers to representatives of the organizations as “hired patriots” and calls on citizens to join his Telegram channel.

The disseminated card repeats a pro-government narrative that portrays civil society organizations not as independent public actors, but as groups “funded from abroad” and acting in line with “political interests.” Such formulations can be assessed as a continuation of the ongoing discrediting campaign against non-governmental organizations.

Pro-Government Media Disseminated Discrediting Cards with Identical Content against NGOs

On 21 August, pro-government media outlets, including POSTV, Rustavi 2 and Imedi, disseminated cards with identical content targeting non-governmental organizations and their representatives.

The cards presented NGO statements in a discrediting context. In those statements, the organizations criticized the government’s rhetoric and described it as “anti-state, Kremlin-style narratives.” In a joint statement, the organizations called on citizens not to follow disinformation and discord spread by Russian propaganda. They also emphasized the need to secure the release of political prisoners, free and fair elections, democratic governance, and the protection of human rights.

The coordinated dissemination of cards with similar content can be assessed as a continuation of the ongoing discrediting campaign against civil society and the media. The use of formulations such as “agency” and “foreign-funded NGOs” aims to undermine the legitimacy of non-governmental organizations, call their public work into question, and reinforce a hostile environment toward civic activism.

In addition, a video aimed at discrediting Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia, was also disseminated on a Facebook page affiliated with Georgian Dream. The video uses a fragment of Gigauri’s statement in which she speaks about people who, in exchange for money, engage in actions harmful to the country. The accompanying caption presents Gigauri as if she is making this assessment about herself.