The views and opinions expressed in this blog are author's and do not necessarily reflect the position of the organization

The ever so strong global democratic backslide hasn’t stopped Western democracies from being by-standers when civic spaces are in crisis. If we are fighting states with a monopoly on violence, no one is going to intervene — we have learned that from Roman Protasevich’s case. The Wikipedia page about Ryanair Flight 4978 says, “The act was condemned by the European Union (EU), NATO, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.” The reaction was to ban European carriers from flying over Belarussian air space. Did this bold decision prevent thousands of Belarussian protesters from being tortured and expelled? No. Did it stop Lukashenka from turning Belarus into a russian launch pad and bombing Ukrainian cities? Definitely not.

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Charles Michel said he is disappointed with what is happening in Georgia, and that “…if the Georgian authorities want to join the EU, they must respect the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the principles of democracy.” Well, I say to be disappointed, one has to trust first. Does it mean the European Parliament used to trust the Georgian government before today? I wonder since when. Because what I have seen in the last couple of years is Georgian authorities gradually distorting democracy by bribing voters, intimidating civic activists, and discrediting opinions different from the line of the party. Someone subsided import tax so that convenience stores are selling “Rossiya” chocolate now. Someone let the russian ministry of defense’s “Zvezda” reporter into the country. Someone gave the order to stalk and attack activists against the foreign agent law. Someone made a fortune in russia which never goes without a trace. 

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Meanwhile, Lazare Grigoriadis who spent a year in detention, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for allegedly trying to damage a police car (which to this day has not been backed up by any evidence aside from the testimonies of two police officers), and then pardoned by Salome Zurabishvili, has been arrested again today. It was reported that his arrest was accompanied by beating so brutal that he does not remember a part of what was happening.

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Russia, China, and Iran do not hesitate to accept anyone in their “club”, luring people to their side with suitcases full of cash. The West still seems to have a lever against the modern axis of evil, although we don’t know for how long. At the same time, joining the EU or any other official democratic alliance is apparently something we inevitably must shed blood for. So, is it really a privilege for us to join, or is it a benefit for them to gain more allies? While there is skepticism, Ukrainian and Georgian people still fight for this to happen. 

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So everyone in DC is asking me how my colleagues are, and how everything is in Tbilisi. But the main question is not how it is right now, and not even how it will go, but what will happen after. Will Georgians have to bleed even more than all of us already have?

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