Dear Mr. Minister,

We, the undersigned Czech civil society organisations, wish to express our deep appreciation for the decision of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs to allocate an additional €230,000 in emergency funding to support Georgian civil society and independent media.

The Czech Republic’s longstanding tradition of providing flexible, prompt, and concrete support to civil society and independent media has been a hallmark of its commendable foreign policy in promoting democracy and human rights. However, at this critical juncture, such support must be reinforced by decisive political action.

As anticipated, Hungary and Slovakia have blocked a joint EU decision on taking meaningful measures. The suspension of the visa-free regime for diplomatic passports is a mere token gesture. Georgian Dream officials now feel shielded by Hungary and Slovakia, creating a well-founded concern that they will escalate the crackdown on protests.

A critical day looms: December 29, when Georgian Dream is set to inaugurate a hardliner as president and oust President Salome Zourabichvili. Should this occur, the ruling party will consolidate the power needed to declare a state of emergency and possibly exploit the New Year holiday season—when European political attention wanes—to execute a Belarus-style crackdown on opposition parties, civil society, and independent media.

Georgia's democracy, human rights, and electoral integrity are under direct assault, with the ruling party exploiting every opportunity to tighten its grip on power. In light of these urgent developments, we firmly believe that the Czech Republic should join the Baltic states in adopting bold and decisive measures to ‘wake up’ other European member states.

President Salome Zourabichvili’s recent speech at the European Parliament underscored the urgency, as she implored the EU and its member states to act decisively and swiftly:

‘When Georgians have been fighting day and night, Europe has been slow to wake up and slow to react. While European flags are being banned in Tbilisi, Georgians are still waiting for biting measures to come from Brussels and Washington.’

‘Georgians will not wither, but expect Europe to step up so we can defend Europe and its values together.’

The only way for Europe to heed this call is for individual member states, including the Czech Republic, to impose national sanctions on senior Georgian Dream officials, as demonstrated by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. This step is essential not only to support the Georgian people but also to encourage other EU member states, particularly Poland, Germany, and France, to follow suit.

For these reasons, we renew our appeal to the Czech Republic to take this bold step, aligning with the Baltic states and standing in solidarity with the Georgian people during their time of dire need.

Thank you for your continued attention to this pressing matter.

Sincerely,

Asociacepro mezinárodní otázky

CEELIInstitute

Centrumpro informovanou společnost

DEMAS

Evropskéhodnoty

EUROPEUM

Gulag.cz

MemorialČeská republika

NadaceForum 2000

NESEHNUTÍ

PragueCivil Society Centre

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