It is with a heavy heart that we are writing this letter of solidarity to all our Georgian colleagues and partners in the wake of recent events. Two days ago the Georgian parliament approved the draft bill amidst violent attacks by police against protesters gathered outside of parliament. We are standing in full solidarity with our sisters and other protesters in Tbilisi.
The Adoption of the ‘Foreign agent” law represents a significant setback for democracy, human rights and equality in Georgia. The law threatens to dismantle the very foundations of collective and personal activism, as well as is a severe blow to feminist and queer movements in the country. Planned attacks are already happening in Tbilisi, in the midst of a smear campaign against activists labeled as “people’s enemies.” If last year this legal change was being justified as a control mechanism of financial flows by the state, today it is openly perceived as a tool to silence and eradicate all feminist/queer and other human rights activists, and destroy any feminist, women’s or any other human rights movements in the country. According to our colleagues on the ground, women’s funds supporting organizations, it will be impossible to operate in the country following this adoption.
However, leaving their local partners alone is not a solution. Hundreds, even thousands of beneficiaries will be left out of essential (and sometimes the only) funding and financial support due to the limited or non-existent operation of funds and foundations in the country in the near future.
Despite the devastating news in Georgia in regards to the new bill, our colleagues are still hopeful for alternative solutions and continued peaceful protests. Diverse civil society groups are present in the protests, and their unity sustains their hope.
We stand in solidarity with our partners and sisters in Georgia in their rightful struggle for justice and human rights in these difficult times.
Women’s Fund Armenia
