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The
Observatory has been informed about the freezing of the bank accounts
of two human rights organisations, the Human Rights House Tbilisi,
one
of the key regional actors providing support to human rights
defenders and their organisations at risk, and Shame
Movement, a pro-democracy
movement campaigning for human rights, free and fair elections and
judicial reforms in Georgia. Three
other civil society organisations, Nanuka’s Fund, Prosperity
Georgia and Fund for Each Other 24/7, also saw their accounts frozen.
On
17 March 2025, the Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General issued a
statement
in which it confirmed that Human Rights House Tbilisi and Shame
Movement -along with three other civil society organisations, namely
Nanuka’s Fund, Prosperity Georgia and Fund for Each Other 24/7-had
their bank accounts frozen. The Prosecutor’s office accused the
organisations of financially supporting and advocating for violent
protests. Protests erupted throughout Georgia in November 2024
following the government’s announcement to suspend the negotiations
over Georgia’s accession to the European Union, which came shortly
after the re-election of the ruling Georgia Dream party in an unfair
election. While the protests remained overwhelmingly peaceful, the
police used
water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds,
as well as excessive force and mistreatment during transportation,
resulting in numerous injuries to protesters and over 480 arbitrary
arrests, amounting to inhuman treatment and, possibly, torture.
In
its statement, the Office of Georgia’s Prosecutor General announced
that it has been carrying out an investigation into acts of
“sabotage”, “foreign aiding and abetting hostile activities”,
as well as “mobilisation of funds for activities aimed against the
constitutional order and the foundations of national security of
Georgia”, envisioned by Articles 318 (part 1 and part 2(a)), 319
(part 2), and 321 (part 1) of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
The
organisations, which had been providing crucial financial support to
arbitrarily detained protesters, helping them with payments of
administrative fines and legal assistance and representation as well
as with medical and psychological support, reported that they did not
receive any preliminary alert or notification from the authorities
about the order to freeze their accounts, nor were they informed that
their organisations were part of a criminal investigation. They were
only informed by their banks that the Tbilisi City Court had issued
an urgent injunction to freeze their accounts. The freezing of their
accounts is also affecting salary payments, office rents and the
ability of the organisations to conduct all kinds of operations.
The
Observatory recalls that since April 2024, the Georgian Dream Party
has intensified its crackdown on civil society and all dissenting
voices, notably by introducing legislation aimed at restricting human
rights and civic space -including the
adoption in May 2024 of the “Transparency of Foreign Influence”
law,
which bears striking resemblance to the Russian so called “Foreign
Agent Law” and equipped the government with tools to suppress civil
society and independent media. Amid the widespread violence that
characterized the repression of peaceful manifestations against this
law, many protesters, human rights defenders and journalists were
physically assaulted,
including by law enforcement officers. Following the elections, the
Georgian Dream Party eventually announced the suspension of
negotiations for accession to the EU, which led to a new wave of
protests that are still ongoing as of March 2025. The arrest, in
January 2025, and continued
arbitrary detention of journalist Mzia
Amaghlobeli,
the founder of independent media outlet Batumelebi/Netgazeti, are
also highlighting alarming threats to media freedom, human rights and
the rule of law in the country.
The
Observatory condemns the freezing of the banks accounts of the Human
Rights House Tbilisi and Shame Movement, as it seems to be only aimed
at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities in
support of victims of police brutality and arbitrary detentions, and
as it clearly undermines the exercise of freedom of assembly and
association in the country.
The
Observatory calls on the Georgian authorities to immediately and
unconditionally revoke the freezing of the banks accounts of Human
Rights House Tbilisi, Shame Movement and other civil society
organisations, and respect in all circumstances the internationally
recognised rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
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