[Press conference] Importing Authoritarianism: The Russian Playbook in Georgia

The Geneva press club is pleased to welcome you to a press conference with:

• Baia Pataraia, Director of Union Sapari and leading Georgian human rights and feminist activist
• Levan Natroshvili, Director of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Georgia’s top election monitoring and democracy promotion organisation
• Mamuka Andguladze, Chairperson of the Media Advocacy Coalition, a Georgian NGO supporting journalists and media organisations

To participate, please register using the links below :

Over the past two decades, Russia has perfected a “playbook” for silencing dissent, suppressing independent media, and eroding civil society — tactics now rapidly replicated in Georgia by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Following disputed elections in 2024 and the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process, authorities have unleashed severe repression marked by police violence, mass arrests, and restrictive laws that curtail fundamental freedoms. These violations, widely documented by domestic and international groups, reveal a deliberate state policy to intimidate opponents and civil society, sustained by a climate of impunity.

This event brings together leading figures from the political opposition in Georgia and prominent leaders from Georgian civil society, at the forefront of efforts to collect, document, report on, and push back against the Georgian Dream party’s moves towards authoritarianism. Speakers will present new research and reporting from Georgia and reflect on what’s next in the political crisis.

Program:
9:30 – 10:00: Informal networking
10:00 – 11:15: Press conference
11:15 – 11:45: Panelists available for interview