“Myth Detector” has registered as an independent legal entity and, starting from September 2024, will become a regional project with the addition of two more languages – Estonian and German.
The expansion of the project and the addition of European languages were already part of the strategic plan of “Myth Detector’s” editorial team, but the process was accelerated by recent anti-democratic developments and government pressure in Georgia.
Both Georgian citizens and the international community are well aware of the Russian-style legislative act aimed at declaring non-governmental organizations as enemies of the people and traitors to the country, which in our case became effective even before it was passed, when masked individuals placed inscriptions reminiscent of the Stalin era on the walls of our office. To date, law enforcement agencies have not responded to either this act of vandalism or the threats against our staff. Moreover, several baseless legal proceedings recently initiated against our organization raise further questions and resemble SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation).
In these circumstances, where the environment for performing professional activities is becoming increasingly difficult, as confirmed by last year’s indices from international organizations (RSF, IREX Vibe), and with parliamentary elections ahead, we consider it crucial to maintain the activities of “Myth Detector” and to inform both Georgian citizens and EU member states about the ongoing anti-democratic processes in Georgia and Russia’s information warfare against Georgia and Ukraine.
To this end, “Myth Detector” will continue to inform the public according to internationally recognized standards and methodological frameworks, commitment to which was declared by us publicly. These standards include transparency and accountability to the public, which our team has always faithfully upheld and promoted.
