Tamara Chergoleishvili, a politician from Georgia’s pro-Western Federalist Party, did not bother attending her court hearing last week. She already knew the outcome. The Tbilisi City Court fined her $1,500 for “insulting” two senior officials of the ruling Georgian Dream party on social media.

Under legislative amendments rushed through Parliament in February, Georgians can now be fined up to 4,000 lari (roughly $1,500) or face up to 45 days of detention for using language deemed “insulting” toward public officials. Terms such as “slave,” “traitor,” “scum,” or “bastard” posted on social media are now grounds for prosecution. The government calls it combating hate speech. The reality is that it is criminalizing dissent, one fine at a time. Chergoleishvili’s punishment is designed to send a message to every Georgian who dares criticize power: you’ll pay the price.

Recommended Stories

• What's behind Trump's Ukraine weapons U-Turn?
• Liberal judge attempts to overrule Congress
• California Democrats walk back climate policies to avoid a political collapse

This legal harassment is unfolding amid Georgia’s worst political crisis of the decade. For eight months, daily protests have rocked Tbilisi after the government announced it would suspend the country’s bid for European Union integration until 2028. In a country where over 80% support Western integration, this wasn’t just a delay. It was viewed as turning the country toward Russia and away from the West and the rule of law. 

Georgia, once seen as a post-Soviet democratic success story, has taken a turn toward authoritarianism. 

Since the initial violence last year, when protesters were brutally beaten in the streets and dragged away by riot police and criminal elements teaming up with government forces, the crackdown has shifted to the courts. A wave of new laws has followed. These include restrictions on foreign funding designed to suffocate independent media, steep fines for protesters for blocking roads, and yearslong prison terms for young demonstrators, around 60 of whom remain in jail, accused of little more than damaging a fence. No police or riot police member, nor the informal groups of thugs, have been held accountable for lawless violence inflicted on protest members. 

On top of this, the ruling party has also come after politicians, launching a parliamentary commission to investigate “wrongdoings” of the previous government between 2003 and 2012. This commission is more of a political show trial than a real inquiry. Those who refused to cooperate have been jailed, including prominent politicians such as Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Zurab Japaridze, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze. Almost everyone in the opposition is now in jail. Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia — once part of the ruling party — may be next, but is rumored to have left the country. 

In another shocking move, Davit Bachiashvili, a former business partner of Georgian Dream’s Russia-enriched founder and real decision maker behind the scenes, Bidzina Ivanishvili, was abducted from Abu Dhabi and flown back to a Georgian jail cell.

Still, the Georgian government’s repressive turn does not reflect strength. It reflects weakness. It was a desperate attempt when, recently, current Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze sent a public, grievance-laden open letter to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, accusing the United States of ignoring Georgia’s attempts to reset relations while defending his government against mounting international criticism. The letter casts Georgian Dream as ideologically aligned with Trump on issues such as Ukraine, gender, and foreign policy. It suggests that pro-democracy protests in Tbilisi are part of a former President Joe Biden-backed plot. Equating his government with the will of the Georgian people, Kobakhidze calls U.S. sanctions an assault on national sovereignty and expresses hope that Trump will soon “defeat the deep state” and restore U.S.-Georgia ties. The government seems to think Trump is a fool who will fall victim to their shallow claims.

These talking points aren’t compelling. Putting aside the fact that the government is anti-American, pro-Soviet in its essence, and suppresses freedoms, the ruling Georgian Dream party has taken numerous steps against American interests. Most strikingly, Kobakhidze visited Tehran last year and stood beside senior Hamas and Iranian officials, most of whom were later killed in Israeli airstrikes. At the same time, the government signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Chinese Communist Party covering political, economic, and cultural domains. Georgian Dream leaders also push antisemitic and anti-Western conspiracy theories.

TWO REASONS THE US AND IRAN LOOK SET TO FIGHT AGAIN

This reality should not be lost on Washington. The Georgian people remain overwhelmingly pro-American, but their government has taken a different path. Bipartisan legislation — the Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act — that includes sanctions for the Georgian Dream officials for democratic backsliding is moving forward on Capitol Hill, but only slowly. 

For many Georgians watching their freedoms erode, the U.S. remains their only hope, both as a symbol of democratic accountability and as a check on a government that brutally denies their aspirations.