Chronicle of Events - December 7

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By Ana Tavadze 2/

🧵But why Mikheil Kavelashvili, someone who represents absolutely nothing, lacks higher education and a political career, and whose only social capital is his background as a football player?

1/ As I’ve already mentioned, both presidents under Bidzina Ivanishvili’s regime, Giorgi Margvelashvili and Salome Zourabichvili, rebelled against him at some point. Both managed to show some spine.

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🧵In less than a month, President @Zourabichvili_S' term will expire, marking the first time in Georgia’s history that the new President will be elected indirectly. Here’s everything you need to know about the issue:

1/ Since 2012, Georgia transitioned from a presidential republic to a parliamentary state, making the President's role primarily ceremonial, which I personally find problematic — but that's another discussion. Zourabichvili will be the last president directly elected by the Georgian people. 2/

❗️Just in: The Central Election Commission confirms that at certain polling stations, the number of male voters exceeds the total number of male voters listed in the electoral register. 1/ Earlier today ISFED shared the statement that based on the analysis of information provided by the CEC, it was determined that at 23 polling stations, more male voters cast ballots than were registered on the list. 2/

🚨 Breaking: After 22 hours of non-stop proceedings, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals has reversed Judge Khuchua’s landmark decision.

I’ll post updates under this tweet. On November 4, Tetritskaro District Court's Judge Vladimer (Leri) Khuchua ruled in favor of GYLA_CSO's claim that voter secrecy had been violated, annulling the results of 30 precincts and setting a precedent.

https://x.com/AnnaGvarishvili/status/1853530127658877198

It’s disheartening that after 12 years of consolidating authoritarian rule, repressing opposition, activists, and media, pushing anti-Western narratives, and stalling Georgia's EU integration, Western leaders seem ready to trade the #RussianLaw to legitimize rigged elections. 1/4 So-called Weimar Triangle issued a joint letter today on Georgia's ongoing crisis amid the allegations of rigged elections, stating that they could not support the opening of Georgia's European Union accession talks unless the country "made reforms". 2/4

🧵There's major turmoil in the Georgian judiciary right now, and I'll try to break down what's happening. Bear with me. 1/ First, it’s important to know that in Georgia, the common courts (city/district courts, Courts of Appeal, Supreme Court) as well as the Constitutional Court are fully corrupt and have been captured by the regime. 2/

🧵 In an absolutely corrupt and fully captured judiciary system, with three incumbent judges sanctioned by the U.S. for corruption, being a judge who truly serves justice is what we call a hero. So, let me introduce you to Tetritskaro District Judge Vladimer Khechua. 1/ Tetritskaro District Court was the only court to grant @GYLA_CSO’s motion to obtain ballots, confirming allegations that vote secrecy was not ensured during the #GeVote2024. 2/

Just in: HarrisX releases final Georgia 2024 exit poll analysis and raises questions over statistically unexplainable data discrepancies by the Central Election Commission involving at least 172 523 votes in 27 districts, or over 8 percent of all votes cast. 1/ “Our analysis of the HarrisX/Mtavari Channel Exit Poll of over 12 000 Georgian Voters, compared to the official results published by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia, reveals a discrepancy of over 8 percent of the total votes cast, or 172 523 votes, across the country that cannot be explained by statistical variance, pointing to possible voting irregularities.” 2/

🗳️ As requested, I’ve prepared an explanatory thread for our dear Georgia watchers about pros and cons of using electronic devices in #GeVote2024. I will share all the information I’ve collected from Central Elections Commission and independent experts. 1/ So, this is the first time electronic devices will be used in Georgian elections (Let’s not count 2021, when they tested it at a few polling stations and, well… it was a disaster — the ballots were too big to fit in the machine). 2/

🧵 Hi Georgia watchers! I want to share some insights about the survival strategies Georgian media and NGOs are using under the #RussianLaw and how they’ve managed to avoid being listed in a defamatory registry.

1/7 The information I’m about to share has been kept under wraps until now to prevent GD from closing these legislative loopholes. Now that the registration process is over, I can finally reveal the details. I spoke with several Georgian lawyers to unravel the complexities involved.

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🧵 Let’s take a quick dive into Georgian history to unpack the symbolism behind talking about the reintegration of Georgian territories in Mtskheta, the Georgievsky Treaty, and trading vassalage for peace.

1/ The Georgievsky Treaty is one of the most contentious topics for Georgians. It sparks endless debates. In 1783, King Erekle II of Kartli-Kakheti, the eastern part of 🇬🇪, made a politically tough decision to sign an agreement with the Russia to protect Georgia from Persia.

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The stories I've shared today from Abkhazia make one thing clear: the massacres in Ukraine aren't the actions of rogue soldiers but the calculated brutality of an evil empire. Russian imperialism devalues human life, whether in Georgia, Ukraine, or anywhere else.

1/4 To us, humans, Russia is an enemy, but to Russia, the enemy is not even human. Its objective is not merely to defeat but to annihilate - to strip away every trace of humanity.

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🧵 32 years ago, the war in #Abkhazia began. On this day, I want to share the story of Venera Meshveliani, a remarkable IDP from Akhaldaba, who endured unimaginable horrors. She was the first one we interviewed for the "Before Bucha was Abkhazia" campaign.

1/ When we met, she showed me her diary. In 2000, fearing she was dying, she began documenting her story, hoping it would outlive her.

Akhaldaba was home to just 2 200 people and was strategically located near Sokhumi airport. The village was first attacked in December 1992.

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🧵16 years ago today, on August 7, Russian troops and armor crossed Georgia's internationally recognized borders and launched a war. As a result, 224 civilians and 169 soldiers were killed, thousands were injured, and tens of thousands were displaced from the Tskhinvali region. 1/ Here is the chronology of events on August 7 from @CivilGe s archive:

Between 03:00 and 04:00 Georgian intelligence intercepts South Ossetian servicemen’s phone calls, discussing Russian troops and armor crossing from Russia into Georgia through the Roki Tunnel.

🧵 Georgian Dream against the Georgians who fought in Ukraine against the common enemy: what’s happening now and how it's directly linked to the Russian FSB, read below my new thread: 1/ Around 10 people who in the past fought for Ukraine against Russia were summoned by the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia on a criminal case of coup d’etat, terrorism, and rebellion against the state.

🚨 Attention please! Some of you may recall that right before the third hearing of the #RussianLaw, GD secretly added clauses requiring individuals to share classified information with the state. This includes health status and even private/sex life

1/4 A few weeks ago, insurance companies updated their terms to allow the COLLECTION of all kinds of information about their beneficiaries, including STRICTLY PRIVILEGED PERSONAL DATA (health related), to SHARE with government bodies

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🧵 On July 5, 2021, a mob, organized by the pro-Putin Alt-Info and backed by the regime and the Georgian Orthodox Church, violently attacked journalists to prevent the planned March for Dignity organized by @TbilisiPride 1/ On the morning of July 5, then PM Irakli Garibashvili fueled the violence by calling the March for Dignity "inappropriate" and blaming the "radical opposition" for organizing it. 2/

1/ 🧵 As promised, I’m sharing a long thread about an openly pro-Russian political party in Georgia: the Alliance of Patriots (AoP). Spoiler: Russia funds them. Ironically, they call themselves Patriots. Here’s how Georgian Dream (GD) has leveraged them over the years. 2/ AoP was founded in December 2012, just a few months after GD was elected. Even though they are called an opposition party, their main opposing power was the UNM, and the previous government and GD leveraged them against the UNM.

🧵1/ Five years ago today, the regime's riot police violently dispersed a demonstration protesting Russian Duma member Sergey Gavrilov sitting in the Parliament chairman's seat. Here's a detailed account of what happened on Gavrilov’s Night: 2/ Sergey Gavrilov, a Russian Duma member from the Communist Party, voted to recognize the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent countries. It's believed he visited Abkhazia multiple times, violating Georgian law if done via Russia.

🧵“Why should I get sanctioned?” asked Zviad Kharazishvili, aka Khareba. In this thread, I will tell you who the man behind most of the violent crackdowns and personal attacks against peaceful protesters and politicians is, and why he should be sanctioned ASAP. #GeorgiaProtests Unfortunately, there is not much public information available about him. But we know that he’s been working with special forces for around 30 years now under three different regimes. 2/