Georgian NGOs respond to raids on activists
Georgian non-governmental organisations have reacted to the coordinated searches of the homes of activists and foundation leaders, calling on international partners to clearly state their position regarding the situation in Georgia.
According to the statement, the government and law enforcement agencies are targeting people at the forefront of humanitarian work who support the most vulnerable groups in society, including persons with disabilities, internally displaced people, low-income families, and victims of violence.
What the statement says
“Non-governmental organisations play a vital role in areas where state support is insufficient, providing food, shelter, medical care, education, and psychosocial services to those most in need.
The use of state power to suppress the work of such foundations is not only morally unjustifiable, but it also criminalises acts of compassion and silences those who fight for dignity and justice. The raids, carried out without proper legal grounds or transparency, are politically motivated and part of a broader campaign against civil society and democratic institutions.
This attack is part of a wider trend of democratic backsliding in Georgia, which includes the adoption of the ‘foreign agents’ law, the crackdown on the media, and ongoing pressure on independent organisations. All of this threatens the freedom of association and expression, the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration, and its international reputation.
We call on Georgia’s international partners to clearly state their position on these actions and to support the Georgian people and civil society at this critical moment.
We will not be intimidated. We will continue to support those in need. We will defend Georgia’s democratic future.”
On 28 April, the Prosecutor’s Office conducted coordinated raids on the homes of foundation leaders providing aid to protesters and political prisoners.
Searches were carried out at the homes of Nanuka Zhorzholiani, Mariam Badzhelidze, Guga Khelaia, and Aleko Tsikitishvili. Prosecutors entered the residences on the basis of a judge’s ruling. The warrant states that the investigation concerns charges of “sabotage” and “aiding a foreign state, foreign organisation, or an organisation under foreign control in conducting hostile activities.”
Notably, the one-party parliament dominated by Georgian Dream recently amended the Criminal Code to include a new article on “high treason,” under which “sabotage and aiding hostile activities of a foreign state” would now be treated as acts of treason.
On 17 March, the assets of several funds that provided assistance to fined protesters and the families of political prisoners were frozen. These included the accounts of the Nanuka Fund, as well as those of Nika Gilauri’s fund and the Tbilisi Human Rights House.
According to a statement by Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office, the funds were seized as part of an investigation into “sabotage” and “activities directed against the constitutional order.”
Georgian NGOs respond to raids on activists
