Listen: Why should Georgia's crackdown on democracy worry Europe?

Eight months after Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections, the country has taken a dramatic turn towards authoritarianism. The ruling Georgian Dream party has passed law after law to silence independent media, criminalise protests, and punish dissent.

But how did a country once hailed as a frontrunner for EU accession end up targeting its own political opposition and journalists and what does this mean for the rest of Europe?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

EUobserver is proud to have an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series “Long Story Short” hosted by Evi Kiorri. The podcast is available on all major platforms.

You can find the transcript here:

Eight months after Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections, the country has taken a dramatic turn towards authoritarianism. The ruling Georgian Dream party has passed law after law to silence independent media, criminalise protests, and punish dissent.

But how did a country once hailed as a frontrunner for EU accession end up targeting its own political opposition and journalists and what does this mean for the rest of Europe?

Welcome to Long Story Short, Europod’s daily podcast that breaks down what matters most, in just five minutes. I’m Evi Kiorri, here to make Europe’s latest, long story… short.

Journalists are being fined, followed, harassed, and in some cases, jailed. New legislation restricts freedom of expression and bans coverage of court trials. Journalists have been physically assaulted while doing their jobs, some nearly killed. Over 100 assaults were documented during the protests last winter, but none have been investigated.

At the heart of this escalating crisis is the case of Mzia Amaghlobeli, the founder of the independent outlet Batumelebi. She now faces up to seven years in prison, accused of “attacking a police officer” after placing a protest sticker on a wall and allegedly slapping the police chief, who had just arrested her relatives without cause. The charges are flimsy. The evidence was manipulated, and her detention, pre-trial and without bail, has continued despite severe health concerns.

But it’s not just Mzia. Journalists across the country are being fined thousands of euros under AI surveillance laws for covering protests. Meanwhile, the “Foreign Agents” law, modelled after legislation in Russia and the US, effectively labels independent media as enemies of the state.

Now, Georgia’s authoritarian slide is a geopolitical test. While the EU froze Georgia’s accession process last November, the government took it as a green light to double down, and not as a warning to stop.
These tactics: arresting opposition figures, arresting journalists, surveillance, media blackouts, smear campaigns, are being exported. From Hungary to Serbia, the same playbook is being copied very carefully. So, if Georgia collapses into full-blown authoritarianism, it will have a ripple effect far beyond the Caucasus.

Economically, the EU has leverage. Germany is one of Georgia’s main trade partners. European funding still supports media organisations in the country. But money without political courage means very little. As opposition figures are arrested and journalists are fined into silence or jailed into submission, Brussels looks indecisive. And that carries a cost, especially when Russia and China are happy to fill the vacuum.

So what can we expect there?

Well, Georgian journalists are not asking for miracles. They’re asking for meaningful, visible support.

International pressure works. Georgian independent media outlets are urging the EU to step up. That means denouncing the Foreign Agents law. Challenging it legally, at home and at the European Court of Human Rights. Offering emergency funding and legal support to journalists under attack. Coordinated public campaigns from European news networks could help put pressure where it counts: on the Georgian judiciary and political leadership. Because journalists are running out of legal recourse. And Georgia is running out of democratic space.

But that’s all for today on Long Story Short, a podcast by Europod in partnership with the Sphera Network. You can also find us on the EUobserver website, go check it out. Thanks for listening. I’m Evi Kiorri, and I’ll be back on Monday at 12:30 with more insights in just five minutes. See you then!