The last bastions [of democracy] are now the media and civil society, - Laura Thornton, senior director for global democracy programs at the McCain Institute, said in an interview with the Georgian Service of Voice of America, responding to the introduction of the Law on Media in the Georgian Parliament.

According to her, this is an attack on free, independent media.

“I am really very concerned about this and of course I agree [that the government is restricting free media]. I think it is clear that this is an attack on free, independent media. Georgian Dream has very effectively seized the state. They have their own president and parliament, which in my opinion are illegitimate. Absolutely all levels of power, including the legislative branch, are in their hands.

The last bastions [of democracy] are now the media and civil society. This is a well-known scenario and we have seen it in Hungary, for example, not to mention Putin, who has initiated several laws [in Russia] that are very similar to what is happening in Georgia.

I think an additional problem is that some of the international organizations that were operating in Georgia have now disappeared. So I think the challenge ahead will be not only the legislation that prohibits foreign funding, but also how [the media] can reach local donors in a country that is not rich, how can public subsidies be organized, etc. I think a lot of media outlets and journalists will have to find funding locally, and that will be quite difficult,” said Laura Thornton.