Academic Freedom in Georgia – Recent Institutional Dynamics and Emerging Challenges

The event will discuss the increasing deterioration of academic freedom in Georgia, highlighting recent legislative changes. In a short introductory presentation, the findings of the 2026 Free to Think Report of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Monitoring Project will be presented, highlighting long-term trends in the higher education sector, including increasing political interference, restrictions on institutional independence, censorship and self-censorship, foreign influence, and their implications for Georgia and Europe more broadly. After the presentation, a panel discussion will discuss the broader implications and long-term impact of the increasing deterioration of Georgia’s higher education system, the role of universities and civil societies, and how international academia and state institutions should respond despite increasing isolation to counter effects.

The event is a collaboration between the ZfL, the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), and Akademisches Netzwerk Osteuropa e.V. (akno e.V.).