Reacting to the freezing of bank accounts belonging to five Georgian NGOs that provide financial and legal assistance to detained protesters, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said: 

“The Georgian authorities’ decision to freeze the accounts of civil society organisations who have been providing crucial financial support to arbitrarily detained protesters, helping them with payments of fines and legal representation, is yet another blatant attack by the Georgian authorities on human rights.  

“This measure seeks to further undermine the rights to peaceful assembly and association and violates Georgia’s international human rights obligations. 

“The Georgian authorities must immediately end their relentless crackdown against civil society and peaceful protest. The arbitrary asset freezes must be lifted without delay.” 

A chilling effect 

On 17 March, three Georgian NGOs – Nanuka’s Fund, managed by journalist Nanuka Zhorzholiani, Prosperity Georgia, run by former prime minister and businessman Nika Gilauri, and the NGO Human Rights House Tbilisi – announced that they had been informed by their banks that the Tbilisi City Court had issued an urgent injunction to freeze their accounts. Two other NGOs, Fund for Each Other 24/7 and Shame Movement, have also had their assets frozen. 

The frozen funds have been providing financial assistance to individuals fined for participating in the ongoing anti-government protests or dismissed from their jobs due to their civic activism. Local activists have warned that this latest assault could effectively “kill the entire protest movement.” 

Nanuka Zhorzholiani of Nanuka’s Fund was the first to report the assets freeze, with the other four NGOs later confirming similar measures being taken against them. None were notified of any concerns of financial irregularities prior to the freezing. The Prosecutor’s Office later issued a statement saying the funds had been seized as part of an investigation into “sabotage’’. The prosecution statement claimed the funds bore responsibility for alleged violence and property damage linked to ongoing protests, though no official evidence or further details have been provided. 

The Government of the ruling Georgian Dream party has recently intensified its crackdown on civil society and all dissent by weaponising the country’s criminal justice system and introducing a series of unduly restrictive legislative amendments targeting free expression and public assemblies. 

Changes to the “Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations” have drastically increased fines, extended so-called administrative detention for violations of the law from 15 to 60 days, and banned actions like covering one’s face. 

Additional legislative measures have targeted civil society organisations and independent media, including restrictions on foreign funding, expanded state control over grants, and introduced new offences such as insult of officials. 

These amendments, coupled with the expansion of law enforcement agencies’ powers, have severely undermined the right to peaceful assembly, and placed a huge financial and legal burden on protesters.