Prosecutor’s Office freezes the bank accounts of seven more human rights and civil society organisations

On 27 August 2025, Tbilisi City Court granted permission to the Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General to freeze the bank accounts of five human rights organisations: International Society of Fair Elections and Democracy, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, Georgian Democracy Initiative, UnAion Sapari, and Social Justice Center, as well as two civil society organisations: Civil Society Foundation (former Open Society Foundation) and Democracy Defenders. The Prosecutor’s office accused the organisations of financially supporting and socially endorsing the participants of violent protests against the re-election of the Georgian Dream Party to the Georgian Parliament in October 2024.

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The Social Justice Center is a human rights organisation based in Tbilisi, Georgia, dedicated to promoting human rights and social justice. Founded in 2012, the Center aims to address inequalities by creating a fair, inclusive, and democratic environment for all. The Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI) is an independent non-governmental organisation dedicated to protecting human rights, fostering tolerance and promoting an inclusive society. Union Sapari is a pioneering grassroots non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering women and promoting equal rights in Georgia. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation with one of the broadest regional networks in Georgia. Established in 1995, ISFED's primary objective is to conduct citizen monitoring of elections and related political processes. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), founded in 2009, is a leading non-governmental organisation based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The organisation monitors government actions and documents violations, disseminating this information to the public.

In a statement issued by the Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General, the authorities claim that the above mentioned human rights organisations used their funds to support protests in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, including protests against the results of the Parliamentary Elections in 2024. The Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s statement falsely links the fact that the organisations used funds to purchase protective equipment, such as protective goggles, face shields, and face masks, to the sporadic violence that erupted during the protests. The Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General labeled the human rights work that the targeted organisations had been carrying out, including financial and legal support to the protesters and their relatives, as a coordinated attempt to “weaken law enforcement agencies and disrupt their normal functioning.” The authorities accused the organisations of encouraging the violence at the protests by making public statements and offering legal services to the detained protesters. Despite the fact that the organisations were simply carrying out their mandated human rights work, the Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General accused them of financing illegal activities and ordered the freezing of their bank accounts on the basis that their activities were beyond the goals stated in their Charters.

Many of the targeted human rights organisations have already faced judicial harassment, defamation and intimidation for their work defending human rights. Since June 2025, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has initiated investigations into the activities of human rights organisations Social Justice Center, Union Sapari, and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, demanding unrestricted access to information regarding their work. Moreover, earlier this year, in March 2025, the Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General, in a similar manner, froze the bank accounts of human rights organisations 'Human Rights House Tbilisi' and 'Shame Movement' along with three other civil society organisations.

Front Line Defenders condemns the freezing of the bank accounts of human rights organisations International Society of Fair Elections and Democracy, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, Georgian Democracy Initiative, Union Sapari, and Social Justice Center', which it sees as a reprisal for their non-violent, peaceful and legitimate human rights work. Front Line Defenders also opposes the defamatory strategy of the Georgian authorities to purposefully equate the funding of violence at protests with providing legal and social support to arrested protesters. Rather than suspending the support provided by the key human rights organisations, the State must recognise the crucial role of human rights defenders and civil society, and foster an enabling environment for their human rights work.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Georgia to:

1. Immediately repeal the decision to freeze the bank accounts of the human rights organisations, and ensure that these organisations are able to access their funds as soon as possible in order to continue their legitimate and peaceful work;
2. Refrain from using financial means to limit and restrict the work of human rights organisations in Georgia;
3. Cease issuing defamatory statements that stigmatise and delegitimise the work of human rights organisations in Georgia; and
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Georgia are able to carry out their human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, in line with Georgia’s international human rights obligations and commitments.