“This is an attempt to completely shut down and eradicate political and public life, because they see that they have failed to stop people, failed to silence them, failed to intimidate them - whether by imprisoning them, using chemical weapons, beating people, torturing them, abducting family members, or carrying out psychological terror,” said the chair of the United National Movement, Tina Bokuchava, in her assessment of the legislative amendments initiated by Georgian Dream that aim to уточify the definition of a grant.

As she stated on PalitraNews’ program “360 Degrees,” the non-governmental sector and the political spectrum have long been deprived of funding, yet they will always find ways to carry the struggle through to the end.

“You know that NGOs have practically been unable to receive international grants for a long time now. You know that political parties no longer receive funding from the state budget - they have kept the entire budget for themselves in order to squeeze everything out of it. Accordingly, this financial crisis in the civil sector, as well as in the political sphere, already existed. And yet they still failed to stop people, because those of us who remain in this struggle are idealists, fighting for a better future for our country, and we will always find ways not only to continue this fight, but to bring it to its conclusion.”

“The very essence of civil society lies in its independence from the government, enabling it to act autonomously and impartially, including in criticizing the authorities - whether the judiciary or any other branch of government. It is an a priori absurdity to require civil society to obtain permission from the government. Such a thing does not exist in nature. These organizations are called so-called GONGOs, and they exist in Russia and other authoritarian countries.”

“This so-called legislative initiative and these new repressive Soviet-style laws, which this grotesque zombie regime presented today, in reality concern not only civil society but also political parties. You are no longer allowed to receive funds even from a private individual who believes in political activity.”

“There is also a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurial activity, because they are extorting millions from ‘Georgian Dream’ businessmen and from so-called middle-ground businessmen as well - those who are now beginning to realize and fear that things are not going well, yet still cannot break away from Ivanishvili’s mafia-like orbit. (Georgian Dream) is squeezing large sums of money out of them, especially recently, when Ivanishvili has struggled to secure financial resources - including because no investment is entering the country anymore and because his personal access to credit lines has been restricted due to sanctions. As a result, he has faced a cash shortage, started extracting money from his own corrupt officials, then from businessmen, and now they have moved on to relatively more independent and potentially more opposition-minded businesspeople as well. They have warned them that even giving 100 lari to a person who might have a belief (not proof) that, for example, they could make a political statement during a broadcast, is now prohibited.”

“Lobbying has also been banned - meaning that having a completely legal contract between a political party and a lobbying company, for example in the United States, Brussels, or London, is also prohibited.”

“You can face 10 to 15 years in prison for shaking hands with a foreigner, simply because that same foreigner does not shake hands with Irakli Kobakhidze and Shalva Papuashvili,” Tina Bokuchava said.

For information: Georgian Dream plans to implement a series of legislative changes. Amendments will be introduced to the Law on Grants. Specifically, the definition of a grant will be clarified to state that a grant is considered any funds - in monetary or in-kind form - transferred by any person to any person, which are used or may be used, with the belief or intent of influencing the Georgian authorities, state institutions, or any part of society, for activities carried out or to be carried out that aim to shape, implement, or change Georgia’s domestic or foreign policy. This also includes activities that stem from the political or public interests, approaches, or relations of a foreign government or a foreign political party. Receiving such a grant will only be possible with the prior approval of the Government of Georgia.

Violation of the rules established by the Law on Grants, according to planned amendments to the Criminal Code, will result in a fine, community service of 300 to 500 hours, or imprisonment for up to 6 years.

Criminal liability will also apply to a senior official of a political party who receives foreign funding. This offense will likewise result in a fine, community service of 300 to 500 hours, or imprisonment for up to 6 years.

External lobbying will also become a criminal offense.

In addition, amendments are being made to the Organic Law “On Political Associations of Citizens.” Specifically, a person employed under a labor contract by an organization that receives more than 20% of its annual income from a foreign power will be prohibited from membership in a political party for 8 years.

Furthermore, legislative changes are planned regarding public political activity by business entities: a business entity engaging in public political activity unrelated to its core business operations will be fined 20,000 GEL, and in the case of repeated or subsequent offenses, 40,000 GEL.