Here is quote from https://civil.ge Monday Cable for 6 April 2026:
On March 31, less than a week before Afgan Sadigov’s deportation, the journalist publicly burned the portrait of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili during the daily parliament rally in Tbilisi.
Simply speaking, now, if you foreigner in Georgia, you can be deported to country you run from for burning portrait of Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Kremlin-friendly billionaire who “become rich” in russia’s 1990s, and who now being informal ruler of Georgia country. Bidizina hurry to build a russia-like dictatorship, and pushes via disputed parliament repressive laws that reminds me late-USSR jokes like this (voice of Gorbachev):
Can’t I sleep, Raisa,
Whole Russia is for Boris!
You adopt a law, Raisa,
That allow to love only us!
Or in russian:
Не могу уснуть, Раиса,
Вся Россия за Бориса!
Ты издай такой указ,
Чтоб любили только нас!
Boris Yeltsin is referred here, and his mass popularity in Russia in last years of USSR existence, what Gorbachev, the President of USSR, has been concerned about. Among that joke refers supposed leadership of Raisa, wife of Mikhail Gorbachev, in their family.
So, this “Georgian Dream” leadership obsession over (their questionable, from my personal point of view!) legitimacy, matched the personal traits of Bidzina Ivanishvili, including paranoia and belief on supernatural effects of common protest performances like burning of his portrait and seeing them as magical rituals and spiritual attacks.
Of course, any foreigners in today Georgia may notice that today Georgia is not a safe harbor like it was a decade ago.
But note that Bidzina Ivanishvili is officially just a honorary chairman of “Georgian Dream” ruling party without any special duties and formal power or accountability. So why Bidzina Ivanishvili portrait that important? Because Ivanishvili is actual ruler of Georgia country and he builds a dictatorship here as soon as possible.
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