The purpose of the project is to investigate and effectively disseminate information on the purchase of services and/or products of Russian origin by administrative bodies from Russian companies.

Such purchases are related to state security and corruption risks, as well as the increase in economic dependence on Russia.

The beneficiary of the research is the general public, as the purchase of a Russian service or product by administrative bodies is a matter of high public interest. The liberty institute will actively work with all interested groups, including the media and political parties, to encourage public discussion on these issues.

The project is implemented with the support of the Open Society Foundation. Opinions expressed by the Liberty Institute in informational materials may not necessarily reflect the position of the Open Society Foundations. Therefore, the Foundation is not responsible for the content of the material.

In 1993, in Akhaldaba, Russian mercenaries took hostage 300 women, including children who were continuously raped and abused for three weeks. Overall, approximately 800 women were abused and raped during the conflict by Russia and its proxies.

In the absence of modern informational technology, the evidence of these horrific crimes has been buried in archives and forgotten, whilst Georgian ID Women have been silenced and their traumas dismissed since the1990s.

This is partly because the victims believed that their traumas represented an obstacle for resocialisation and chose to stay quiet but mainly because the Georgian political elite decided that in the midst of a political, economic and social crisis and a lack of Western support, discussions about women's trauma and Russian crimes were pointless.

Our project aims to give a voice to women who have remained silent for decades, by acknowledging their abusive experiences and re-examining history; To encourage re-socialisation of ID women; To resist Russian disinformation campaigns, to help the Georgian society to reflect on its past trauma, critically assess Russia’s role in the conflict and reaffirm its strategic interest; To discuss Women’s war experience and acknowledge the gender aspect of the war crimes.

The project will collect oral stories of ID women and publish research on the gender aspects of war crimes.

The project started on May 1st, 2023 and will continue for one year. Tinatin Tsomaia and Ia
Shalamberidze, who have experience working on the topic of femicide, are the senior researchers of the project. Researchers from the Abkhaz Assembly, Dali Tabaghua and Tsotne Pataraia, are also involved in the project. The Abkhaz Assembly has been collecting stories of IDPs since the 1990s.

The project is supported by the Office of Roving Ambassador of Finland for the South Caucasus. The project’s partner is online media Tabula.

Liberty Institute with its partners (Abkhaz Assembly, Tabula, European Georgia, Voter Education Society) started a campaign to recognize the crimes against humanity committed by Russia and groups under its effective control in Abkhazia as genocide.

In the absence of modern information technologies, the evidence of horrific crimes committed by Russia and its proxies in Georgia was buried in the archives and went unnoticed by the wider public. Along with our partners, we started a campaign - Before Bucha was Abkhazia - to give voice to victims of Russian atrocities. The campaign has caught the attention of international media, political actors, and diplomats. They have been actively writing and tweeting on the issue.

One of the pillars on which Russia’s hybrid warfare and its disinformation campaign stand in Georgia is the fear of war. Russian propaganda and its proxies insist that the West is dragging Georgians into a war against Russia and the West is to blame for Russia’s and Georgia’s antagonistic relations. In this context, focusing on the lived experiences of people who have suffered from Russia-led aggression at a time when Georgia did not have any Euro-Atlantic aspirations, nor any Western support, will help counter the disinformation that Georgia and Russia's conflict stems from Western machinations rather than conflicting national interests. The campaign intends to build resilience towards anti-western propaganda and Russian hybrid warfare as Georgians are given first-hand evidence on what it means to rely on Russia. Furthermore, it is of crucial interest for Georgian society to reflect on its past trauma, critically assess Russia’s role in the conflict and reaffirm its strategic interest.

Screenings of films created within the framework of the project were held in various cities and villages across Georgia, and two interactive exhibitions "Before Bucha was Abkhazia" were held in Tbilisi (Club Khidi) and Kutaisi (Bude Club).

Under the framework of the campaign, the conference "Abkhazia after Ukraine" was held at the Free and Agrarian Universities.

The campaign to recognize the genocide continues.

Sign the petition and join our common cause - https://bit.ly/3IiBGUQ

The Liberty Institute is conducting a new project - School of Political Changes - from November 2022.

The school hosts weekly discussions where participants learn how social change happens - in how to make the politically impossible, politically inevitable.

To participate in the project, fill out the form: https://forms.gle/V87G1SNWkQhgVMt56

The project „The New Republic“ aims to develop political recommendations that will help the future leaders of Georgia to fundamentally transform all major areas of politics.

The current political landscape in Georgia is dominated by a high degree of polarization and a personalization of politics, where political parties are alienating voters by focusing on personal differences and party politics, instead of addressing issues that affect the daily lives of the Georgian people. This is further aggravated by false dilemmas fabricated by Russian propaganda, where Georgian values are portrayed as incompatible with Euro-Atlantic integration. As a result of these processes, citizens are disengaged from political life, which in turn greatly harms the advance of liberal democracy. Moreover, the fear of uncertainty makes citizens wary of change and status quo wins.

To counter polarization and restore trust in the liberal democratic process, Liberty Institute aims to create content that goes beyond party-lines, moves away from personalities and unites people around issues and ideas. In this context, the “New Republic” aims to spark a conversation on the challenges affecting the lives of ordinary Georgians and provide a platform to discuss solutions to these problems with the participation of the youth. Through academic research and discussions, it aims to provide policy recommendations and offer a vision for Georgia’s future reforms.