Co-founder of Bassiani, Tato Getia, leaves Georgia following a police raid at his residence.
Georgia-based nightclub co-founder Tato Getia and his family have moved to Lisbon, Portugal, following a police raid on their residence last month. The co-founder of Bassiani, a renowned techno club in Tbilisi, shared the news on Instagram, assuring readers that the decision was not driven by fear but by the need to ensure a safe and peaceful environment for the birth of their child. The raid seems to be another chapter in the prolonged conflict between Bassiani and the Georgian government.
Bassiani, located within the Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi, is a significant symbol of progressive culture and a safe haven for the city's LGBTQ+ community. Over the years, the club has faced scrutiny and pressure from authorities, with police raids and surveillance targeting not only the club but also its founders and patrons. These incidents have allegedly been part of a broader crackdown by state institutions against liberal activism and alternative cultural spaces in Georgia.
Getia's Instagram post also encourages his friends and family to remain active in the ongoing protests on Rustaveli Avenue, fighting for a free and just Georgia. He believes that the situation in Georgia is moving towards the end of the current oligarchic regime.
Recent tensions escalated when the Georgian government passed a controversial "foreign agents" bill last May. The law requires media and businesses that receive over 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "agents of foreign influence." Several prominent clubs and promoters in Tbilisi's nightlife scene have voiced their criticism of the government through this initiative.
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The techno club Bassiani, located in Tbilisi, Georgia, has been a beacon of progressive culture and a sanctuary for the city's LGBTQ+ community, yet it has continuously faced scrutiny from the Georgian government, including police raids and surveillance. [2] This prolonged conflict can be traced back to the club's co-founder Tato Getia, whose home was recently raided by the authorities. [1] Getia, now residing in Lisbon, Portugal, has been vigilant about the situation in Georgia and encourages his followers to remain active in the ongoing protests for a free and just Georgia. [3] The government's recent passive of the "foreign agents" bill, requiring media and businesses receiving over 20% foreign funding to register as "agents of foreign influence," has escalated tensions and garnered criticism from the nightlife scene in Tbilisi, including Bassiani and its founders. [3] This policy-and-legislation move appears to be part of a broader crackdown by state institutions against liberal activism and alternative cultural spaces in the country, placing Georgia's progressive lifestyle and home-and-garden sector, as well as its sustainable-living initiatives, under political scrutiny.
