We inform the public that the illegitimate parliament continues to act against the Georgian people. In the coming days, Georgian Dream intends to adopt, through an expedited process, legislative changes that would prohibit Georgia’s friendly countries and international organizations from providing support to Georgian citizens without the Georgian government’s approval.

Today, when state institutions have been turned into party appendages, civil solidarity and activism remain the only means of protecting individuals. This law, by its nature and intended consequences, is an act of persecution and aims to leave citizens defenseless before the ruling party’s punitive system by banning international support and solidarity.

This initiative by Georgian Dream is a continuation of their strategy to dismantle the support system for Georgian civil society and the people — a strategy they have failed to implement despite adopting “Russian laws,” persecuting activists, and freezing civil solidarity funds.

We emphasize that the purpose of this law is to turn Georgia into a closed, isolated state in which all areas of public life fall under the totalitarian-style control of the Georgian Dream party. It aims to eliminate any possibility for the public to receive essential support from international partners and friends. The law also seeks to halt the work of independent media and civil society organizations that inform the public about the government’s violations of rights, corrupt deals, and the use of public office for private gain — practices that have become deeply entrenched in Georgian Dream’s rule.

This illegitimate parliament is trying to sever the Georgian people from their friends’ support, leaving them vulnerable — children, women, students, the elderly, political prisoners, those unlawfully fired or fined, victims of violence, persons with disabilities, journalists, and representatives of culture, business, and other fields. They seek to plunge every citizen who relies on the benefits of Western civilization into despair.

We, the civil society of Georgia, once again firmly declare:  We will not live under Russian laws, and we will resist to the end this act of persecution against the Georgian people.

We will not allow Ivanishvili’s illegitimate regime to decide when and how Georgians can help each other. We reaffirm our commitment to the Constitution of Georgia and to protecting the rights and dignity of our fellow citizens.