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Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)

Website:

gdi.ge/en
Type:

International Judaical Reform Organization
Formation:

2015
Board Chair:

Eduard Marikashvili
Location:

Tbilisi, Georgia

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The Georgian Democracy Initiative is a judicial reform organization based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The group won a freedom of expression case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2021. 1 2

The Georgian Democracy Initiative is a partner of the Atlas Network and is funded by private grantmaking foundations and government organizations including the Open Society Foundations and the U.S. Agency for International Development. 3 4

Background

The Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) is a judicial reform and human rights organization based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The organization uses analytics and research to defend human rights in the country and to push for Georgia to integrate more with Europe. 5

The organization has defended human rights in Georgia through strategic litigation, including defending journalists who were a part of politically motivated defamation cases, and working with teachers to educate students on human rights and democracy. 6

Political Activities

The Georgian Democracy Initiative won a freedom of expression case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2021. The case revolved around the Georgian condom brand AIISA, which was fined for “unethical packaging designs” in 2018, according to the Georgian news platform Agenda. The Tbilisi City Assembly found the condom designs “inappropriate” and “unethical,” as some designs depicted Tamar the Great, a medieval Georgian queen whom the Georgian Orthodox Church considers a saint. 7 8

The European Court of Human Rights found that the Tbilisi City Assembly’s view of the designs was not sufficient to justify interfering with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. ECHR also stated that “those who choose to exercise the freedom to manifest their religion must tolerate and accept the denial by others of their religious beliefs.” 9

The Georgian Democracy Initiative helped raise awareness to the public about two Georgian draft laws that would require non-governmental organizations to register as “foreign agents” if more than 20 percent of funding came from foreign sources. 10

GDI analyzed the bills on Transparency of Foreign Influence and on Registration of Foreign Agents which were registered with the Parliament of Georgia in February 2023, and noted that it resembled a 2012 Russian law that the Kremlin has used to suppress independent media. 11 12

GDI raised opposition to the bills, which it claimed were attempting to “silence voices for liberal democracy and intimidate critics of the government,” according to GDI’s partner, the Atlas Network. Protesters gathered outside of the country’s parliament multiple times calling for the bills to be rejected, including on March 7, 2023, when protesters were dispersed by pepper spray and water cannons. 13

Georgia’s governing party Georgian Dream withdrew the proposed bills after two consecutive days of protests across the country. The party said in a statement that it would “unconditionally withdraw” the bill, due to the need to reduce “confrontation” in society. The party also claimed that the bill’s “radical opposition” spread “lies” about the proposed law. 14

Affiliated Organizations

The Georgian Democracy Initiative is a partner of the Atlas Network, formerly known as the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. 15

The Atlas Network is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that aims to promote free-market economic policies across the world. The organization promotes independent pro-free market organizations around the world, and says it backs “individual liberty, free enterprise, and voluntary cooperation to prevent future poverty.” 16 17

Funding

According to its 2022 annual report, the Georgian Democracy Initiative received a total of $273,081, nearly all of which came from contributions and grants from private grantmaking foundations and governmental organizations. 18

GDI received a total of $24,480 from Open Society Georgia in 2018. The organization also lists the Open Society Foundations (ODF) as a donor in its 2022 annual report. OSF, formally the Open Society Institute, is a private grantmaking foundation created and funded by billionaire financier and liberal philanthropist George Soros. 19 20

GDI received $79,985 in total in 2016 from the East West Management Institute, a left-leaning nonprofit international aid and advocacy organization located in New York City that is partially funded by several notable left-leaning grantmaking groups and the Rule of Law Program at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a government agency which supports international development through the provision of foreign aid. 21

The Georgian Democracy Initiative also received $27,000 from the Atlas Network in 2023. 22

References

  1. “Georgian condom brand fined for ‘unethical’ designs wins case against Georgia in Strasbourg Court.” July 22, 2021. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://agenda.ge/en/news/2021/2067.
  2. “Annual Report 2022.” European Endowment for Democracy. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://democracyendowment.eu/pdfs/EED-Annual-Report-2022.pdf.
  3. “Annual Report 2022.” Georgian Democracy Initiative. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/storage/files/doc/Annual%20report%202022.pdf.
  4. “Improving Minority Rights through Strategic Litigation.” Gdi.Ge. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/en/proeqtebi/umtsiresobebis-uflebebis-gaumjobeseba-strategiuli-samartaltsarmoebis-gzit.
  5. “About Us.” Gdi.Ge. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/en/chven-shesakheb-2.
  6. “Annual Report 2022.” European Endowment for Democracy. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://democracyendowment.eu/pdfs/EED-Annual-Report-2022.pdf.
  7. “Georgian condom brand fined for ‘unethical’ designs wins case against Georgia in Strasbourg Court.” July 22, 2021. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://agenda.ge/en/news/2021/2067.
  8. “Annual Report 2022.” European Endowment for Democracy. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://democracyendowment.eu/pdfs/EED-Annual-Report-2022.pdf.
  9. “Georgian condom brand fined for ‘unethical’ designs wins case against Georgia in Strasbourg Court.” July 22, 2021. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://agenda.ge/en/news/2021/2067.
  10. “Renewed Hope for a Free Future.” Atlas Network. April 25, 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/stories/renewed-hope-for-a-free-future.
  11. “Georgia: Joint Statement on the Dispersal of Protest Demonstrations by Police Forces.” Netherlands Helsinki Committee. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.nhc.nl/georgia-joint-statement-on-the-dispersal-of-protest-demonstrations-by-police-forces/.
  12. “Renewed Hope for a Free Future.” Atlas Network. April 25, 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/stories/renewed-hope-for-a-free-future.
  13. “Georgia: Joint Statement on the Dispersal of Protest Demonstrations by Police Forces.” Netherlands Helsinki Committee. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.nhc.nl/georgia-joint-statement-on-the-dispersal-of-protest-demonstrations-by-police-forces/.
  14. Light, Felix. “Georgian ruling party drops ‘foreign agents’ bill, protesters remain.” Reuters. March 9, 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/georgian-lawmakers-withdraw-foreign-agents-bill-ruling-party-2023-03-09/.
  15. “Renewed Hope for a Free Future.” Atlas Network. April 25, 2023. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/stories/renewed-hope-for-a-free-future.
  16. “Atlas Network.” Charity Navigator. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/942763845.
  17. “Atlas Economic Research Foundation/The.” Bloomberg UK. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0585912D:US.
  18. “Annual Report 2022.” Georgian Democracy Initiative. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/storage/files/doc/Annual%20report%202022.pdf.
  19. “Annual Report 2022.” Georgian Democracy Initiative. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/storage/files/doc/Annual%20report%202022.pdf.
  20. “Litigation for Freedom of Expression.” Gdi.Ge. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/en/proeqtebi/samartaltsarmoeba-gamokhatvis-tavisuflebistvis.
  21. “Improving Minority Rights through Strategic Litigation.” Gdi.Ge. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/en/proeqtebi/umtsiresobebis-uflebebis-gaumjobeseba-strategiuli-samartaltsarmoebis-gzit.
  22. “Resilient Voices: Exposing Oppression and Advocating for Freedom of Expression.” Gdi.Ge. Accessed April 1, 2024. https://gdi.ge/en/proeqtebi/devnis-mkhileba-da-gamokhatvis-tavisuflebis-advokatireba.
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