“Despite Asset Freezes and Repressions, Georgian NGOs Will Continue Our Work,” – said representatives of civil society organizations whose accounts have been frozen by the authorities.
Today, seven civil society organizations held a joint briefing and stated:
“The asset freeze of seven independent organizations represents yet another illegal act by Ivanishvili’s government. It violates fundamental human rights and serves to sabotage the European integration process.
Today, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office, within the framework of an absurd investigation, froze the bank accounts of 7 independent organizations that do Georgian work, serve Georgian citizens, and fight for Georgia’s European future. The grounds for the freeze are stated to be that we have been and are assisting mass-tortured people, prisoners of conscience, and fined citizens. The illegal ruling does not contain any factual justification. The judge based the decision solely on some blank quotes.
The adversaries of the Georgian people want us to no longer be able to protect the rights of children, women, people with disabilities, students, those illegally detained, workers, and the elderly; to no longer investigate and report on injustice, corruption, torture, and systemic violence; to no longer defend them in the ECtHR and other international courts. They want not only to sabotage future European integration, but also to deprive the Georgian people of the greatest good they have already gained – the right to visa-free travel.
We will not cease our work. Regardless of seizures, repressions, or threats, we will stubbornly continue our work as long as the Georgian people fight for justice and fairness every day. We will fight against authoritarian rules and Russian laws and use all legal mechanisms to prevent the opponents of the country’s democratic and European path, as enshrined in the Constitution, from achieving their goal. We will protect Georgia’s European path and continue to fight to save the visa-free travel and Georgia’s democratic future”.
The Tbilisi City Court granted the Prosecutor’s Office’s motion, freezing the bank accounts of seven CSOs.
According to the court’s decision, the following organizations’ accounts were frozen: the Civil Society Foundation, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information, Democracy Defenders, the Georgian Democratic Initiative, Sapari, and the Social Justice Center.
The Prosecutor’s Office requested the court to freeze the accounts as part of an investigation for “sabotage, attempted sabotage under aggravating circumstances, assistance to foreign organizations or organizations under foreign control in hostile activities, and mobilization of funds for activities against Georgia’s constitutional order and national security.”
Specifically, the Prosecutor’s Office requested the account freezes because, during the spring protests, the organizations had purchased protective gear for participants, including shields, goggles, masks, face coverings, pepper spray, and other items. They also assisted people with paying fines and supported detained individuals and their families.
Related:
Georgia Escalates Crackdown on Civil Society | Sabotage Allegations Spark Reactions in Tbilisi
In Connection with Pro-EU Protests, Court Freezes Bank Accounts of 7 CSOs Citing Alleged Sabotage
