20 NGOs call on Gov’t officials to “stop attacks” on them

Twenty non-governmental organizations on Thursday called on the Georgian government officials to stop attacks on them. In the joint statement, the organizations also talked about the importance of involving them in the decision-making process and participating in a “healthy discussion” over Georgia’s European Union membership candidates status. 

“Attacks of a similar nature on independent public organizations by high-ranking government officials are worrying. Such statements can be considered as an early signal and a threat to the free environment of civil society organizations in the country. It is necessary to draw parallels and share the experience of other countries when certain social or political groups or public organizations were targeted by authorities.

“It is characteristic of authoritarian regimes. In such regimes, attacks on non-governmental organizations, especially human rights and democratization-promoting organizations, controlling their financial turnover and declaring them as ‘foreign “spies’ are a recent trend. A similar trend can be observed in Russia, Azerbaijan, Hungary and not only,” the statement read.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the chairman of the ruling party in parliament, on Monday asked questions over the financing of non-governmental organizations.

“We are talking about several million and tens of millions, with which these non-governmental organizations are financed, directed against the state, against the government, to plan a campaign to demand a technical government, etc. Therefore, the public should know what these funds are spent on, for what purpose they are spent,who provide the funds…”.

On the next day, the chairman of the ruling party, Irakli Kobakhidze, said that two non-governmental organizations working on election issues, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and Transparency International Georgia, could not be involved in the activities of the group working on the election issue in the state legislature, had created to address electoral issues for Georgia’s EU candidacy. 

“The only thing that differentiates them from other non-governmental organizations is their wealth, they are richer than others. Their reputation in society is very low, their competence, their qualifications are very low”, Kobakhidze said, accusing them of backing “radical forces” in the country.