...[L]ocal opposition against the Khudoni hydropower plant project in Georgia is being stifled by government figures...The native communities in the Svaneti region are protesting against the project which would expel them from their land and way of living. The dedication of the Svan communities has triggered solidarity across the country...[M]any famous supporters have now joined the protests publicly...[T]he Georgian Ombudsman reminded the government that the majority of the local population is against the project as it is planned right now...Locals affected by the Khudoni dam not only fear being resettled...They also have no reason to trust the government’s promises that “resettlements will be conducted according to highest possible standards in the world” (Ilia Eloshvili, Deputy Minister of Energy, Source [KA]). Land rights have only very weak protection in Georgia and authorities have blocked Svans from registering their property in recent years. Many land plots that were under customary use by the Svans have been sold off for one dollar to the Khudoni investor Transelectrica, a company registered in a tax haven.