Criticism of Georgia’s legislative changes based on double standards, says Georgian Parliament official

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, on Friday responded to ongoing criticism from European institutions regarding recent legislative changes, stating that claims of “democratic backsliding” were unfounded and politically motivated.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Gorduladze argued that legislative amendments adopted by the Georgian Parliament either fully replicate or were more lenient than similar laws in EU member states.

“During the discussion of the transparency law, we encountered disinformation. The same narrative continues now regarding the legislation initiated by our team and adopted by the Georgian Parliament, as well as various legislative amendments”, Gorduladze said.

“What democratic backsliding are we talking about? It’s not even laughable. These people have run out of words and focus on two points – either labelling it as Russian or talking about democratic backsliding – when the legislative changes adopted by the Georgian Parliament either fully replicate the legislation in EU member states or are much milder and entail significantly less responsibility than the legislation in those same countries. But these people want to convince Georgian society that they are somehow superior, standing on a pedestal with a higher culture and history, and that what is acceptable in their countries should not be acceptable in ours, including legislative changes. This is the lie being propagated by various individuals, both abroad and then repeated in our country by representatives of externally funded and instructed agents”, he continued.

Gorduladze highlighted several key areas where Georgian legislation mirrors or softens the regulatory frameworks of Western countries, including the transparency law debated in 2023 and 2024.

“One fact is clear: the legislation adopted in Georgia and the decisions made by the Georgian Dream team throughout the spring session serve several purposes. These include preventing interference in our country’s internal affairs, including economically, stopping the spread of falsehoods that negatively impact economic progress, and strengthening our country’s sovereignty while holding people accountable for their actions. It’s not as they would like, portraying anarchy in our country as acceptable, such as insulting law enforcement officers, physically attacking them, or throwing various objects. All of this is prohibited not only in Georgia but in any other country. For example, in the United States, the Florida sheriff made statements about attacks on police officers. Our legislation is much milder than that in the United States or even in EU member states. The same applies to the amendments to the Organic Law on Common Courts regarding video and photo recordings. Nowhere is live broadcasting of court proceedings allowed. On the contrary, even the European Court has ruled that justice must be protected from media influence”, the official said.

He further noted that the narrative of democratic backsliding was a form of disinformation propagated both internationally and domestically.

“These people who make such statements are constantly exposed, and we will not get tired, of course, of debunking their lies, let alone of developing a legislative framework that serves the interests of the Georgian people. The same was true, for example, with the decisions related to drug policy, illegal migration, and many others that, on one hand, promote economic strengthening and job creation, and on the other, combat externally funded campaigns. If we do not fight these, we will have no future. If we want to have a future, we must care for the next generation, and this is exactly what a whole range of legislative changes were aimed at. To those talking about democratic backsliding, I would advise one thing: wash their mouths out. These people think that the Georgian people are unaware of current events, lack information, and have problems with reasoning. Unfortunately, they are gravely insulting Georgians, and this is exactly why the Georgian people’s attitude toward European bodies is not surprising at all”, Gorduladze concluded.