🇬🇪 April 9, 1989: Soviet paratroopers crushed a peaceful pro-independence rally in Tbilisi.
21 Georgians were killed.
The commander on the ground?
Alexander Lebed, a rising Soviet general.
Years later, he would be funded by Bidzina Ivanishvili—Georgia’s future PM.
A thread 🧵 April 9 became sacred in Georgia—etched in the national soul as the day the fight for freedom turned deadly.
But in 2025, Georgian Dream’s leader, Kobakhidze, said this:
“36 years later, still a foreign force is engaged in violence on Rustaveli Avenue.”
He meant the protesters.

🇬🇪Exit polls confirmed Georgia’s opposition—Coalition for Change, UNM, Strong Georgia, and For Georgia—won decisively in the Oct '24 elections
Yet overnight, the Central Election Commission declared Georgian Dream (GD) victorious with 53%. Observers denounce this as blatant fraud Western democracies rightly refuse to recognize GD’s illegitimate government. The extreme GD don't care. They are doubling down—introducing a law to BAN these opposition parties, labeling them anti-Georgian, anti-constitutional, anti-national, and criminal
globalnews.ge/en/georgia/123…

🇬🇪 The self-proclaimed speaker of the one-party parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili’s presence at the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Uzbekistan is not diplomacy — it’s whitewashing.
He represents a regime that stole an election and rules through coercion, not consent.
1/6 The Oct. 2024 election was widely condemned for intimidation, media bias, vote manipulation, and systemic abuse of state power.
All major observer groups — both international and domestic — were aligned in their findings.
2/6

🇬🇪GEORGIA WARNING: What’s happening is no longer a temporary backslide. It’s a coordinated campaign to dismantle democracy, capture institutions, and reorient Georgia’s geopolitical future.
🧵And Europeans politely ask them to “return to the European path" ...
1/22 Georgian Dream (GD) has been repeatedly told — by the EU itself — that laws adopted already in 2024 are fundamentally incompatible with EU membership. These laws must be repealed to even begin serious accession talks. GD knows this.
2/22

🇬🇪Georgia is quietly undergoing a dramatic geopolitical shift. Under Georgian Dream and its informal leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country is accelerating its alignment with Iran (and China and Russia)—abandoning its Western orientation.
🧵A thread on why this matters.
1/16 In 2023 and 2024, high-level diplomatic contacts between Tbilisi and Tehran reached unprecedented levels.
Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze made two visits to Iran in 2024 alone—an extraordinary development that signals a warming political partnership.
2/16

🇬🇪We know Georgian Dream is steering Georgia toward Russia. But there’s another shift unfolding—one that gets far less attention.
🧵This thread explains how GD is deepening its ties with China, aligning Georgia with a growing authoritarian bloc and turning away from the West
1/21 Georgian Dream (GD) claims it is committed to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path. It repeats promises of better EU and US relations. Yet the government’s policies are moving Georgia in the opposite direction—away from the democratic West, and into authoritarian partnerships.
2/21

🇬🇪🇬🇧Irakli Rukhadze, owner of Imedi TV and Hunnewell Partners, has lost his case at the UK Supreme Court. He’s been ordered to pay over $170 million in damages plus interest. The ruling confirms he led a “commercial conspiracy” to seize assets from Badri Patarkatsishvili’s.
1/5 Why does this matter? Rukhadze controls Hunnewell Partners and Imedi TV—two major players in Georgia’s financial and media sectors. This ruling exposes a pattern of disloyalty and misconduct with potential repercussions far beyond the courtroom.
2/5

🇬🇪With global attention fixed on Ukraine, the EU, and the new US admin, Georgia is quietly sliding into dictatorship. Georgian Dream (GD), under oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is dismantling democracy at alarming speed—largely unnoticed by the West
🧵A new dictatorship thread
1/24 GD’s one-party parliament has passed sweeping new laws designed explicitly to suppress independent media, civil society, and ordinary citizens.
Peaceful dissent now risks criminal punishment.
Georgia is no longer a democracy in crisis—it’s becoming a dictatorship.
2/24

🇺🇸🇪🇺🌎The transatlantic alliance faces an uncomfortable truth: the instability in U.S. politics isn't just about Trump. It’s about the deeper flaws in American democracy itself—flaws that make the U.S. an unreliable pillar of Western security.
🧵A security thread.
1/10 Trump—a convicted fraudster, rapist, and insurrectionist—isn’t an outlier. The fact that he can win power again is a symptom of systemic weakness.
In any functioning democracy, such a figure would be politically extinct.
In the U.S., he was the GOPs first choice.
2/10

🇬🇪BREAKING! The BBC @BBC is funding authoritarian propaganda in Georgia.
Its commercial arm, BBC Studios, licenses Dancing with the Stars to Imedi TV, a Georgian Dream-controlled channel that openly admits its mission is to keep the opposition out of power.
🧵A dance dive:
1/11 Imedi TV is not an independent broadcaster. It is a Russian-style propaganda machine for Georgia’s extreme ruling party. Its owner, Irakli Rukhadze, is a UK-based mini-oligarch and a close ally of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Kremlin-linked billionaire who controls Georgia.
2/11

🇺🇦🇺🇸Trump’s lies and despicable statements about Ukraine aren’t just embarrassing—they’re isolating him and the U.S. on the world stage.
While he pushes Kremlin propaganda, Europe is moving on without Washington.
The U.S. is now weaker and more irrelevant than ever.
A thread 🧵: For the first time in modern history, Europe no longer trusts the U.S. as a reliable partner.
When Trump gutted NATO in his first term, it was seen as reckless. Now? Allies are actively preparing for a world where Washington doesn’t matter.

🇬🇪Munich ’25 was a wake-up call. The US is no longer a reliable partner for Europe.
Hegseth betrayed Ukraine🇺🇦, suggesting it should cede land and drop NATO
VP Vance declared that Russia isn’t Europe’s main threat.
🧵Europe must act. And Georgia is the battlefield where we start For too long, Europe has reacted to crises instead of controlling them.
Now, with US disengagement, Europe must take the offensive—economically, politically, and strategically. We must shape the future.
The fastest, most effective move?
A decisive European-led victory in Georgia

🇬🇪Western diplomats must recognize a hard truth: any symbolic recognition—whether intentional or not—emboldens the Georgian Dream (GD) regime.
🧵Recent missteps show how GD exploits these moments to fake legitimacy while doubling down on repression.
1/10 Take Alain Berset’s visit to Tbilisi in December. The Council of Europe Secretary General claimed he secured “concessions” on GD’s Russian-style Foreign Agents Law. But this week, GD made its position clear: no amendments. Berset was played. @alain_berset
coe.int/en/web/portal/…

🇬🇪Imedi TV is not just biased—it’s a "machine of evil", built to manipulate, silence, and control.
Under Georgian Dream, it has transformed into a Russian-style propaganda weapon, crushing dissent and distorting reality.
🧵Here are firsthand accounts from those who escaped. This thread is based on powerful reporting by @OCMediaorg, featuring testimonies from journalists who escaped Imedi’s grip. Their accounts expose how Georgian Dream has weaponized media to maintain power. Full credit to their work.
2/15
oc-media.org/a-cog-in-the-m…

🇬🇪Georgian Dream (GD) just unveiled a barrage of new repressive laws that will further dismantle democracy and centralize power.
The road to authoritarian rule is no longer a possibility—it’s the plan.
🧵A breakdown of Georgia’s descent into dictatorship. 👇 1/21 Self-proclaimed leader Mdinaradze framed the changes as necessary to remove “inefficient” laws and replace them with tools that give the government “real leverage.” What does this mean in practice? Criminalizing dissent, silencing opposition, and total control.
2/21

🇬🇪BREAKING: The Council of Europe (CoE) has set strict conditions for granting Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), credentials at PACE
Failure to comply by April 2025 could lead to full suspension—and open the door for more sanctions.
🧵The heat is on Georgian Dream ... PACE’s conditions are clear and non-negotiable
📌 New, democratic elections under international monitoring
📌 End police brutality & repression
📌 Release political prisoners
📌 Repeal the “Foreign Agents” law
📌 Restore EU integration process
📌 Judicial & legislative reforms

🇬🇪Russia’s economy is under strict sanctions to weaken its ability to fund its war against Ukraine🇺🇦. Yet, oil continues to flow into Europe disguised as "Georgian-origin" products.
🧵🛢️A recent investigation reveals how Georgian Dream plays a key role in sanction evasion. This thread is based on an investigation by iFact, an organization dedicated to advancing investigative journalism in Georgia through evidence-based reporting. Their findings highlight critical gaps in sanction enforcement. Credit to their vital work.
ifact.ge/en/journey-of-…

🇬🇪HELP! Georgia suffered a fraudulent election that dismantled democracy and led to a one-party parliament under Georgian Dream. The Council of Europe’s fact-finding mission confirms widespread human rights violations.
Georgian Dream must be denied credentials at PACE! The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) must act. Article 8.2 of its Rules of Assembly allows for the rejection of credentials in cases of:
🔹Serious violations of CoE principles.
🔹Persistent failure to meet commitments.
Georgian Dream has crossed both lines.

🇬🇪The Council of Europe @coe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty @CommissionerHR, has issued a devastating indictment of the Georgian Dreams’s human rights record. His findings highlight systemic abuses, legislative overreach, and shrinking space for civil society. The Commissioner calls out the lack of accountability for police violence during protests in April 2024 and since November 2024. Despite credible reports of unlawful arrests and ill-treatment, not a single law enforcement officer is prosecuted.

🇬🇪Language is power. How politicians frame their opponents shapes public opinion, silences dissent, and consolidates control. Georgian Dream’s rhetoric echoes authoritarian regimes of the past—think Mussolini’s Italy, Nazi Germany, and Franco’s Spain.
🧵Let’s unpack this.
1/20 Georgian Dream leaders like Bidzina Ivanishvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, and Shalva Papuashvili frequently use terms like "extreme," "radical," "liberal fascism," and "Global War Party" to label their opponents.
But this language isn't just hollow and colorful—it’s also strategic.
2/20

🇬🇪The UK has a unique opportunity to support Georgia’s democracy by imposing sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili and his network, including Irakli Rukhadze, Ucha Mamatsashvili, Hunnewell Partners, and Imedi TV.
🧵Let’s unpack why UK action is critical.
1/15 Ivanishvili’s family business empire is deeply tied to UK offshore jurisdictions like the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands. Over 95 companies, including Cartu Bank, Galleria Tbilisi, and Axis Towers, could face crippling financial sanctions.
2/15

https://x.com/Transparency_GE/status/1880218854724350200