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Dear John,
Atlas Network has partners advocating for freedom around the globe—in 103 countries to be exact! But not every country is open to the ideas of free markets or democracy, and some of our partners have to navigate dangerous environments to avoid fines, violence, and in more extreme cases, imprisonment.
Authoritarian governments will always try to silence those that speak out against them, but Atlas Network partners refuse to give up.
One such case is the country of Georgia, the easternmost European nation, that borders Russia, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Georgia’s ruling party is closely aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and they frequently attack local groups advocating for free enterprise and liberal democracy.
For instance, the pro-Putin party recently tried passing a Kremlin-inspired law that would require freedom groups to register as “foreign agents”—basically, labeling them as spies.
Russia did it over a decade ago, and it led to a government crackdown on those in civil society who didn’t march in lockstep with the regime.
Fortunately in Georgia, Atlas Network partners prevailed.
Led by the Franklin Club, Margaret Thatcher Centre, and Georgian Democracy Initiative, our partners successfully blocked the “foreign agent” bill from becoming law.
This adds to a growing number of pro-free enterprise victories in Georgia, and the number of Atlas Network partners in the country has now grown to 15.
Franklin Club, Margaret Thatcher Centre, and the Georgian Democracy Initiative have each participated heavily in Atlas Network Academy training and two were a part of our Think Tank Startup grant program.
To learn more about the work of our partners in Georgia, check out the remarks from Alexander Zibzibadze, the Franklin Club Head of Donor Outreach, delivered at Atlas Network’s 2023 Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner.
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