Anke Hilbrenner

Osteuropahistorikerin an der HHU Düsseldorf #Sportgeschichte #Gender #Terrorismusgeschichte #memory #WWII #PublicHistory

[Katie Shoshiashvili @KShoshiashvili]

Georgia will survive — one decent judge has emerged, one principled diplomat, and countless unsung heroes. Let’s remember that loyal, kind-hearted citizens will not disappear from this country. In the defense forces, the police, and among everyday people, there are individuals who embody Georgia. Together, they form a powerful force that defends the country now and will continue to do so — @Zourabichvili_S writes amid the news on the court ruling on @GYLA_CSO's appeal.

[Michael Roth 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪 @MiRo_SPD]

Good news! The independence of judiciary is still alive in Georgia! 🇬🇪🇪🇺 https://t.co/td2oRai6yP

[ELONNOVAX @elonmusknovafs]

Herzlich willkommen: Prof. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz @KrzyRuch ist neuer Direktor des @InstPileckiego!

Die Ernennung von Prof. Ruchniewicz setzt ein klares Zeichen: Die 🇵🇱🇩🇪 Beziehungen genießen aktuell höchste Priorität.

Wir freuen uns auf die Zusammenarbeit!

[Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya @Tsihanouskaya]

Democracy won. Europe won.

Congratulations, dear @sandumaiamd, on your re-election as President of #Moldova 🇲🇩.

Your strong leadership is guiding 🇲🇩 towards its European future.

The people of #Belarus share the same commitment to freedom & the right to shape our own destiny.

[Linas Linkevicius @LinkeviciusL]

Congratulations President Maia Sandu! Not only #Moldova is victorious today. Democracy, freedom, people's choice won. It is a clear proof that no corrupt, brutal pressure, no 'brainwashing' power can overcome when people are united and have a clear goal.

[Michael Roth 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪 @MiRo_SPD]

Congrats, dear Madame President! Good for Moldova, good for EU, good for peace, freedom and democracy on our continent! 🇲🇩🇪🇺

[Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 @Mikiashvili_M]

Great! France joins calls for inquiry into what happened with the Georgian elections.
https://t.co/U1A2Iaod88

[Rasmus Canbäck @CanbackRasmus]

Here's the full speech by @Zourabichvili_S:

Good evening, everyone,

First, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all the citizens of Georgia who voted for our European future. You were many, and you won these elections. No one has the right to take away our European future.

I also want to thank those who, despite extremely unfair and unequal conditions, worked in election commissions to protect your votes. I extend my appreciation to journalists who fought under even more difficult circumstances to document as many violations as possible. However, the number and variety of these violations were so overwhelming that capturing everything in their reports became impossible.

What we witnessed was unprecedented. It was a complete falsification and theft of your votes, using every available tactic we have seen both in other countries and in Georgia. Additionally, modern technologies were employed to cover up these manipulations—a level of deception we had not encountered before.

We were not just witnesses but also victims of what can only be described as a Russian special operation—a new form of hybrid warfare waged against our people and our country.

Several months ago, this government (which I now refer to as a regime, not a legitimate authority) adopted a Russian-style law. This was followed by a series of additional Russian-inspired laws, all of which violate European recommendations and obstruct our path toward a European future.

Today, in this election, we were deprived of our voting rights. What took place was not a democratic election; it was a Russian election. They dismantled the electoral process, making it nearly impossible to imagine how future elections could be held fairly unless drastic changes are made. Our constitutional right to vote was stolen.

Many citizens had their IDs confiscated, denying them the right to vote. Our emigrants were also deprived of participation, as polling stations were not opened, and additional obstacles were put in place. Out of 100,000 registered emigrants, only 33,000 managed to cast their votes, despite the tremendous efforts they made to register. Some traveled thousands of miles in the U.S. or overcame significant challenges in European cities just to vote—only to be denied that right. This issue demands investigation.

There is much to investigate. I am grateful to our international partners and observer organizations who recorded these violations and did not hesitate to report what happened. However, simply documenting these violations is not enough.

As the last independent institution in this country, I must clearly state that I do not recognize these elections. Recognizing them would be tantamount to legitimizing Russia’s takeover of Georgia. I did not return to this country, nor did our ancestors endure everything they did, to accept such an outcome. We cannot surrender our European future for the sake of future generations.

I am not speaking just as an individual—I represent an institution that stands for the people of Georgia. I urge all citizens to stand together and declare that we do not recognize these elections. We will not accept Russia’s infiltration and this new form of occupation. We stand united, and with me now are political parties that participated in these elections, defending both our European future and the Georgian Charter.

I invite you to join us tomorrow at 7:00 PM on Rustaveli Avenue, where together we will declare to the world—and to each other—that we reject these elections. We will peacefully defend every vote and, most importantly, our future. Our goal is to ensure that free, fair, and democratic elections can still take place in this country. We will not surrender this right to anyone. It belongs to us, and we will assert it together tomorrow.

This will be a symbolic gathering—a united declaration to the world. I also appeal to our international partners—Europeans and Americans. While we are grateful for the statements of support made by various officials, it must be understood beyond borders that protecting Georgia and maintaining the geopolitical balance in this region means protecting the people, not collaborating with an illegitimate government. Without your active support, this country’s people cannot be safeguarded.

Just as you stood by the people of Georgia when the regime attempted to pass a Russian-style law, you must now stand by us—the people—again. These elections were not legitimate, and nothing can make them so.

Thank you very much!

[Hans Gutbrod @HansGutbrod]

A tiny clique in charge of the ruling party has stolen Georgia's European future. They stole that European future in good part by bribery, intimidation, direct violence, and some manipulation of the voting process.
The tiny clique also took that future away by overwhelming many voters with their dystopian vision of the world -- a vision that has nothing to do with Europe.

Where the vote was comparatively free and fair, in parts of Tbilisi's capital, the opposition parties clearly won. 1/n

[Linas Linkevicius @LinkeviciusL]

The more info we get, the more convinced we are that the election was rigged in #Georgia. And I’d add - as expected. It’s important for the opposition not to give up, to be united, continue to act. #Russia’s joy that Georgians don’t need Europe is premature and simply wrong!

[NEXTA @nexta_tv]

❗️BREAKING:

"Russian-style elections" held in Georgia with new tech to "launder falsifications," says President Zourabichvili.

President Salome Zourabichvili made this statement during a special briefing with opposition leaders.

[Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress]

🇬🇪Georgia update:

🔹President @Zourabichvili_S does not recognize elections, calls for protest tomorrow
🔹After this announcement, Polish FM @radeksikorski calls on Europe to stand with Georgian people
🔹Hungarian PM Orban congratulated Georgian Dream with victory before ballots were counted, will visit tomorrow. Azeri & Armenian leaders also congratulated
🔹Senior 🇪🇺 parliamentarians issue a statement saying that the 🇬🇪 election was neither free nor fair, and demands 🇪🇺 not recognize the result
🔹@HelsinkiComm Chair @RepJoeWilson calls on @StateDept to examine fraud allegations & make statement
🔹Opposition parties Coalition for Change and the UNM party refuse to enter parliament over falsification accusations

[Terje Helland @terjehelland]

🇬🇪The October 26 elections in Georgia were marred by extensive fraud. Observers, both local and international, have raised serious concerns, making it clear the results aren’t legitimate.
🧵Here’s why the West must swiftly reject the results.
1/14

[Samira Bayramova 🇬🇪 🇪🇺 🇺🇸 @SamBayramova]

“We will gather in Rustaveli at 7 o'clock tomorrow and declare to the whole world and the Russian dream that we do not recognize the elections” @Zourabichvili_S
#GeorgiaElection

[Salome Zourabichvili @Zourabichvili_S]

I urge our international partners to protect Georgia by standing with the people, not an illegitimate government.

Just as you opposed the Russian law, we ask you to stand with us again. These elections are illegitimate, and nothing can change that.

[Giorgi Kandelaki @kandelakigiorgi]

🧵The picture is clear now. DESPITE thuggery, intimidation, violence, vote-buying, confiscation of IDs etc Russian Dream lost Tbilisi and lost by a catastrophic landslide abroad (scoring 15%). But in regions where there was less oversight, people were more vulnerable to pressure

[Dietmar Pichler @DietmarPichler1]

All eyes on #Georgia 🇬🇪 ⬇️

[Anna @AnnaDeMilanese]

Ein Hilferuf aus Georgien an die freie Welt. Bereit zu kämpfen. Für die Freiheit. Bitte teilen. Lasst die Georgier nicht alleine. Bitte!

[Elene Kintsurashvili @EleneKintsuras2]

HAPPENING NOW @Zourabichvili_S is live

"We were a victim of a Russian special operation. They (GD) took away elections from us, (in Georgia) Russian elections took place. "

*will drop quotes below

#GeVote2024

[Anders Fogh Rasmussen @AndersFoghR]

The news of vote rigging and violence around the polling stations in #Georgia yesterday are extremely alarming.

We must stand with all those in Georgia who believe in a European future free from Russia’s malign influence.

Georgia is Europe.