According to Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Prime Minister, Georgia holds an advantage over European Union member states in terms of democracy, media pluralism, and freedom of expression. He made this statement on the air of the propagandistic TV channel Imedi.
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"When a country wants to become an EU member state, it needs to fulfill certain conditions. What are these conditions? The main condition is a democratic system, and we have a robust democratic system that can definitely compete with EU member countries.
Furthermore, if you look at the development trends in a large number of EU member states,
it's very clear that we even have an advantage over many, perhaps even most, EU countries in terms of the quality of democracy, media pluralism, media freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and in all directions. So, regarding democracy and human rights, we are ready to become an EU member state today," Kobakhidze said.
However, according to the Freedom House report, Georgia's freedom index has decreased by 3 points compared to the previous year, now standing at 55. At the same time, it is assessed as a "partially free" country. The report indicates that the change in the freedom index is due to electoral irregularities, physical assault against demonstrators, the adoption of new restrictive laws on freedom of assembly, the "foreign agents' law," and violence against activists. EU member states are ahead of Georgia in this ranking, including Hungary, which has been assigned 65 points in the freedom index.
Regarding the quality of media freedom, according to the international human rights organization Reporters Without Borders, Georgia ranks 114th in the world, with all EU countries ranking higher. Georgia's position in the rating has worsened by 11 places compared to the previous year – in 2024, the country ranked 103rd. According to the organization, the deterioration of media freedom in Georgia is linked to Georgia's failure to implement EU recommendations, the adoption of the "foreign agents'" and "family values" laws, changes in the law on freedom of expression, censorship of critical media, raids, smear campaigns, intimidation, and more.
On November 28, 2024, the Georgian Dream government decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028, which led to large-scale protests across the country. Police forces used violence against numerous demonstrators and journalists, but no responsible individuals have been punished to date. Parallel to the protests, Georgian Dream adopted laws restricting freedom of assembly and expression, tightened the criminal and administrative codes, and limited media coverage of court proceedings.
Due to human rights violations, the Baltic states, the United States, and Great Britain have imposed various types of sanctions on several representatives of the Georgian Dream government. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party's founder and honorary chairman, has also been sanctioned by the U.S.
