Narratives attempt to discredit protesters, blame the West for public dissent Participants protest against a draft law on “foreign agents” during a rally outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, March 8, 2023. (Source: Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze) By Eto Buziashvili and Sopo Gelava Anti-Russian, anti-government protests in Georgia forced the country’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), to withdraw its bill on “foreign agents,” while GD officials attempted to discredit the protests by spreading anti-Western narratives, echoing Kremlin propaganda, including the threat of another Russian invasion and blaming the West for orchestrating the protests. GD dropped the bill on Friday, after three nights of protests in Tbilisi brought thousands of people to the streets to condemn the legislation. The bill, an almost identical copy of a Russian law , required civil society organizations and media outlets that receive at least 20 percent of their annual funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence.” Because of its similarity to the Russian legislation, the Georgian bill was derided locally as the “Russian law.” The bill was initiated by the political movement People’s Power, a GD offshoot, that espouses anti-Western views. Despite being widely condemned domestically and internationally, the law passed its first reading on March 7, prompting the protests that escalated to riots after police used water cannons and tear gas against peaceful protesters. The US Embassy in Tbilisi referred to the bill’s passage as a “dark day for Georgia’s democracy.” The European Union High Representative said that the law was incompatible with EU values and standards. In a statement announcing the withdrawal of the bill on Friday, GD said a “machine of lies was able to prese
Conclusions & Recommended Actions & Technical Summary
- Forensic Focus: Audit chain of custody, system timestamps, and artifact logs for related activity.
- Source Provenance: Technical briefing synthesised from DFRLab (Digital Forensic Research Lab) advisories.
- Examiner Action: Update investigation IOCs and cross-reference artifact signatures.
- Rikostekninen fokus: Tarkasta järjestelmälokit, analysoi keskeiset artefaktit ja varmista todistusketju.
- Lähdeviittaus: Varmennettu tekninen katsaus perustuen lähteeseen DFRLab (Digital Forensic Research Lab).
- Toimenpide: Päivitä tutkinnan indikaattorit ja suorita tarvittavat tarkastukset.