Georgian non-governmental groups persist in their activities, despite frozen bank accounts

In a move that has raised concerns among civil society groups and critics of the ruling Georgian Dream party, the Prosecutor General's Office has frozen the bank accounts of seven organizations. The decision, approved by Tbilisi City Court just hours before a joint briefing by the organizations, comes amidst an ongoing investigation accusing these groups of facilitating violence during anti-government protests.

The targeted organizations include ISFED, Civil Society Foundation, IDFI, SJC, Sapari, Georgian Democratic Initiative, and Democracy Defenders. Seven out of these seven organizations have already been singled out under the ruling party's Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), with inspections of these groups, along with three others, launched in mid-August.

The prosecution requested the freeze as part of the investigation, citing allegations that protest participants were equipped with various items, including gas masks, helmets, face-covering masks, respirators, protective goggles, and batons, using funds from the targeted organizations.

Critics of the Georgian Dream party have raised the issue of visa-free travel with the EU when condemning the freeze decision. Tazo Datunashvili, head of the opposition group Lelo - Strong Georgia, stated that the Georgian Dream is doing the opposite of the partners' recommendations, increasing the risk of losing visa-free travel with the EU.

Elene Khoshtaria, one of the leaders of the opposition group the Coalition for Change, compared the freeze to a move in the Russian style and called for citizens to join an anti-government protest on 13 September. More than 50 civil society organizations have expressed solidarity with those targeted by the freeze, condemning the court's decision and stressing that the Georgian Dream government's actions show that maintaining Georgia's visa-free regime with the EU is not in their interests.

The organizations targeted by the freeze have stated that it violates fundamental human rights and serves to sabotage the process of EU integration. They also noted that the ruling contains no factual justification and that the judge made the decision based on standard template citations.

This is not the first time the Prosecutor General's Office has targeted the ongoing anti-government protests through investigations into alleged sabotage. The European Commission sent letters to the Georgian government in July, warning that visa-free access to the EU for Georgians could be suspended unless democratic reforms are implemented.

The targeting of civil society groups is part of a broader case involving charges of sabotage, attempted sabotage, and aiding and abetting hostile activities. The organizations have vowed to use all legal mechanisms to prevent those opposing Georgia's democratic and European path from achieving their goals.

Recently, the Russian government and its inner circle had their bank accounts frozen by the EU, the USA, and Switzerland as part of sanctions connected to investigations into sabotage and hostile activities related to the war against Ukraine. Approximately 60% of the Russian Central Bank's foreign reserves were frozen to cut off financial support for the invasion, impacting Putin and his allies specifically.

As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how this development will impact Georgia's relationship with the EU and the ongoing democratic reforms within the country.

Georgian non-governmental groups persist in their activities, despite frozen bank accounts