Last year, the Government of Georgia took unprecedented steps to silence its own citizens and weaken the democratic system - steps that fully align with Moscow’s interests, said U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic Party) during a speech in the U.S. Senate marking International Human Rights Day.

According to Jeanne Shaheen, “Ukraine is not the only place where the Kremlin uses coercive methods to control its neighbors and shape their political course.”

“Last year, the Government of Georgia took unprecedented steps to silence its own citizens and weaken the democratic system. It adopted repressive laws. It renounced the constitutional commitment of Georgia to join the Euro-Atlantic community. It took harsh measures against civil society and arrested representatives of the political opposition,” the American senator said.

According to her, “these steps fully align with Moscow’s interests.”

“Leaders of Georgian civil society, including Nino Dolidze, a recipient of the National Democratic Institute’s Democracy Award, are working at personal risk to defend fundamental rights. Their struggle is part of a broader global resistance,” Jeanne Shaheen noted.