TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Dozens of Georgians stood in tearful silence in a central square near parliament last week to mourn Kesaria Abramidze, a transgender actor and model who was stabbed to death the previous day in her apartment.

Alongside flowers and candles, some carried banners that read, “Hate kills.”

Some in the conservative South Caucasus nation see a direct line between violent attacks, such as the one on the 37-year-old Abramidze, and a sweeping measure that severely restricted LGBTQ+ rights which was given final approval by parliament a day before the slaying. Activists fear the measure could increase hate crimes.

The bill, introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party, includes bans on same-sex marriages, adoptions by same-sex couples and public endorsement and depictions of LGBTQ+ relationships and people in the media. It also bans gender-affirming care and changing gender designations in official documents.

The events were a chilling reminder of the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ people in the country of 3.7 million where the Orthodox Church wields significant influence.

“We have been saying all along, all these months, that laws like this are going to cause violence and are going to increase the number of people that are physically attacked,” Tamar Jakeli, the head of Tbilisi Pride, told The Associated Press at the vigil.

“We are quite desperate, honestly,” Jakeli added. “We don’t know how we can survive in this country under this law, under this government.”

Concerns about Russian influence

Because the measure echoes similar laws in Russia, some Georgians fear they are being drawn further into Moscow's orbit after more than three decades of independence following the collapse of the USSR.

Authorities in both countries believe the laws protect “traditional family values” from what they call dangerous foreign influence.

Georgian Dream introduced the anti-LGBTQ+ bill shortly after parliament adopted a law in June that requires media and nongovernmental organizations to register with authorities if they get more than 20% of their funding from abroad. This is similar to a Russian measure that the Kremlin uses against its critics and other dissenters.

For years, Moscow has sought to bring Georgia back under its influence, fighting a brief war in 2008 over a breakaway province. The decade-long rule of Georgian Dream -– a party created by shadowy billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia -– has raised concerns it is acting in concert with the Kremlin.

Many ordinary Georgians supported Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion in 2022. But Georgia's government refused to impose sanctions on Moscow, barred Kremlin critics from entering the country, and accused the West of trying to drag Tbilisi into the conflict.

Georgia's “foreign influence” law ignited mass protests, with critics saying it threatened democracy and jeopardized Georgia’s bid to join the European Union.

Georgian Dream pressed ahead anyway, approving the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. The measure still could be vetoed by President Salome Zourabichvili, long at odds with the party, but it has enough seats to override her the same way it did with the foreign influence law.

The EU's criticism and Georgia's response

After the foreign influence law passed, the EU halted Georgia's effort to join the bloc that began in 2022 and froze some financial support. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on government officials and parliament members.

The anti-LGBTQ+ measure further deepened that rift. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it “will undermine the fundamental rights of the people, increasing discrimination and stigmatization."

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze replied that such criticism “will not benefit the image of the European Union within Georgian society.”

“In our perception, Europe represents transparency, traditional, Christian values. For centuries, Georgians have strived toward Europe because we were united by shared Christian traditions and culture,” Kobakhidze said, arguing the measure protects families and minors.

It is seen as a populist step to win conservatives' support in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election in which Georgian Dream seeks to maintain its dominance.

“They are just using the same methods and means and tools Russia is using -– to somehow … take people’s attention (away) from the real problems and create a new enemy somewhere within the society, and then defeat that enemy that doesn’t really exist,” said Giorgi Davituri of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information in an AP interview.

A setback for the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community

The sweeping restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights and representation mirror those adopted in Russia over the last decade, packaged into one crippling blow.

Some of them, like the ban on same-sex weddings, cement existing Georgian law that defines marriage as a “voluntary union between a man and a woman.” Others, like the ban on gender-affirming medical care or changing one’s gender in documents, drives an entire social group, such as trans people, to the fringes.

“Everybody is really under threat, but trans people are the most vulnerable,” said Tbilisi Pride’s Jakeli, because the legislation bans “any kind of physical intervention which is needed for trans people to continue living.”

Giorgi Gogia, associate director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch, told AP the legislation's impact may be far-reaching, limiting multiple rights, including to health care, peaceful assembly and education.

It's at odds with Georgia’s laws that ban discrimination based on gender identity, among other things, Gogia said.

More dangerously, it “perpetuates already existing negative stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people in the country and encourages hate speech, and could lead to further violent incidents,” he said.

Gogia pointed to the stabbing death of Abramidze, even though he believed it's unlikely the developments are directly linked. A 26-year-old man was detained, and police opened an investigation on a charge of "premeditated murder committed with particular cruelty and aggravating circumstances on gender grounds.”

Abramidze was famous in Georgia as “a symbol of the freedom and fight and a very strong woman,” said Taki Mumladze, a director, actor and screenwriter.

Mumladze, who co-wrote and starred in a movie depicting a same-sex relationship and later directed a play about it, told AP the killing shocked Georgians, whatever side of the issue they were on.

Georgia was “very, very homophobic” at one point, she said, recalling anti-gay demonstrations two years ago on the day her movie premiered.

Such protests are common in the country. Last year, hundreds of opponents of gay rights stormed an LGBTQ+ festival in Tbilisi, forcing its cancellation, and tens of thousands marched in the capital this year to promote “traditional family values.”

But Mumladze said attitudes had begun to change in recent years, thanks to NGOs educating society and providing support for the LGBTQ+ community. She says her own conservative, religious parents saw her movie and play, and really liked both.

“So I felt very good. And now with this law … even my art will be forbidden,” she said. “It’s crazy that the government is trying to stop this progress.”

She and Jakeli are pinning their hopes on the upcoming election.

“We are mobilizing for the elections,” Jakeli said. “We are urging everybody to go and vote, go and vote for Georgia’s European future, which also includes human rights for all, including us.”

Added Mumladze: “I hope with the elections we will change this because if not, we will lose this country for a long, long time.”

—-

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia.

__

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

News from © The Associated Press, 2024