The Swedish activist slammed the “authoritarian” governments of Georgia, Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, accusing the West of “turning a blind eye to oppression in exchange for resources.”
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg organized a pro-democracy rally this Monday, November 11, in Tbilisi to denounce “authoritarianism” in Georgia and Azerbaijan, where COP29 opened.
This Monday evening, Greta Thunberg led several dozen demonstrators who gathered on Freedom Square, in the center of Tbilisi, for what she called a rally “against the wave of authoritarianism and exploitation which is sweeping across the Caucasus.
The demonstrators held up signs reading “Free 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan” and “Democracy for Georgia”.
Alleged electoral fraud
The Swedish activist traveled to Tbilisi to join anti-government protests. In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Georgia to protest alleged fraud in the October 26 elections, won by the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party.
The latter claims that the vote was free and fair, but his detractors accuse him of having diverted Georgia from its path towards Europe and of having brought Tbilisi back into Moscow’s orbit.
Fight against “authoritarian” governments
Greta Thunberg went on to accuse the “authoritarian” governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and Iran of “enforcing control, stifling dissent (and) oppressing their own people.”
She criticized the West for “turning a blind eye to oppression in exchange for resources,” saying “Western powers are complicit in the repression and suffering faced by the people of the Caucasus.”
Neighboring Azerbaijan hosts COP29
“Azerbaijan, using COP29 as a facade, is strengthening its control under a false ‘green’ agenda, tightening its grip on power and escalating regional tensions,” the activist said on the social network
International rights groups have denounced the crackdowns that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s government unleashed against civil society activists ahead of COP29.
The European Parliament also criticized Azerbaijan’s crackdown on its opponents and said “ongoing human rights violations are incompatible” with hosting the COP.
Delegates from nearly 200 countries have gathered for the two-week forum in Baku, where negotiators are expected to increase the target of $100 billion a year for financing the fight against climate change in developing countries.
