Disinfo: Joe Biden is behind the protests in Georgia

Summary

Joe Biden, the US presidential candidate, is behind the latest protests in Georgia, in which he has financial interests. Biden’s commercial interests are linked to the deep-sea port project in Anaklia which will be accomplished only in one case – if Mikheil Saakashvili returns to Georgia.

Disproof

No proof is given. Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative claiming that public protests (also known as colour revolutions) in various countries are organised/ financed by the US, and bringing into the mix two other narratives relevant for Georgia. This is not the first time Biden is linked to Georgia. Previously Russian TV spread disinformation as if Joe Biden is behind the human organ trading organised by Mikheil Saakashvili and his wife. The Anaklia deep sea port has been a target of Kremlin propaganda for a long time. Over the past months, Russian and pro-Russian actors have been continuously raising the issue of construction of deep sea ports in Georgia. These actors exploit 3 main narratives against the port:

  • The Anaklia port is unacceptable for Russia and it will not allow their construction;

  • The Anaklia port is actually designed for U.S. and NATO military bases;

  • From economic point of view, Georgia does not need deep sea ports; they only have military-political importance.

See disinformation narratives on the Anaklia deep sea port here and here. Background of the protests: The protests in Georgia started spontaneously in the morning on June 20th, when a Russian MP from the Communist Party, Sergei Gavrilov, addressed delegates from the Georgian Parliament Speaker's seat during an annual meeting of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO). The opposition boycotted the presence of the Russian delegation in Tbilisi, later developing into the protests in front of the Parliament. As a response, Vladimir Putin has temporarily banned Georgian airlines from flying to Russia and called on Russian citizens in Georgia to leave the country.

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sputnik-georgia.ru (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 156
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24/06/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Georgia, Russia
  • Keywords: Protest, Joe Biden, Mikheil Saakashvili
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Disinfo: Foreign actors are targeting traditional religion to forward a consumerist neo-liberal world order

The political unrest in Georgia started during an assembly of MPs from Orthodox Christian countries. Foreign actors are supporting various non-canonical entities and sectarian-style beliefs in the framework of the wider campaign against traditional religions that oppose the establishment of consumerist neo-liberal world order.

Jun 23, 2019
Disproof

Conspiracy theory, presented without evidence. Freedom of religion is a fundamental element of international law. Freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in Articles 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (link is external) and of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Under international law, Freedom of religion or belief has two components:

  • The freedom to have or not to have or adopt (which includes the right to change) a religion or belief of one’s choice, and

  • The freedom to manifest one's religion or belief, individually or in community with others, in public or private, through worship, observance, practice and teaching.

With the adoption of the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief in 2013, the EU has committed to advance this fundamental freedom in its external action, including through its financial instruments. In doing so, the EU is guided by the principles of non-discrimination and interrelatedness of human rights.

Disinfo: The Mueller report has never presented tangible evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections

The Mueller report has never presented tangible evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.

Jun 23, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US elections. Russian meddling in the 2016 election was established by US intelligence agencies before the publication of the Mueller report. Despite the fact that the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities, Robert Mueller’s report clearly states that Russian interference activities DID take place. For a similar case see here: Other cases about Russia's interference can be consulted here.

Disinfo: US behind South America power failure

US cyber attacks are the reason behind wide-scale power cuts in three South American countries as training for hitting Russia’s energy infrastructure.

Jun 23, 2019
Disproof

This claim is supported by no evidence. Whereas a massive power outage has indeed taken place in several Latin American countries, the reason behind it is yet to be established. The Argentinian president Mauricio Macri promised in a tweet published on June 16 that the case will be thoroughly investigated. The Guardian reported that Argentina’s energy secretariat blamed the blackout on a failure in the transmission of electricity from the Yacyretá hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River. He also added that the reason for the breakdown was not immediately clear. The Argentinian energy secretary, Gustavo Lopetegui, said that it could take up to two weeks to understand exactly why this had happened and who might be to blame. This is reminiscent of other unsubstantiated claims that the Venezuela blackouts that took place last March were the making of the United States and the West. For the Venezuela blackouts claims, see here.