Georgian NGOs condemn enforcement of 'Russian law,' pledge unity against 'repressions'

43 Georgian civil society organizations have issued a joint statement condemning the enforcement of Georgia’s so-called “Russian law” and expressing solidarity with five leading NGOs targeted by the state’s recent demands for sensitive data.

“We, representatives of Georgia’s civil society, stand in solidarity with our colleagues – the Civil Society Foundation, Transparency International – Georgia, Sapari, Academy for the Future, and the Economic Policy Research Center – against whom the Ivanishvili-Kuprashvili Anti-Corruption Bureau, using the Murusidze-led judiciary, issued sweeping demands for confidential information on June 17,” the statement reads.

The NGOs argue that the request has no legal basis or legitimate public interest, and accuse the authorities of using state institutions as tools for political retaliation and suppression of dissent.

The requested data reportedly includes highly sensitive personal information about the organizations’ beneficiaries, including women, children, victims of violence, minorities, and socially vulnerable groups – such as banking details, medical records, and social data.

“Protecting this information is our professional and moral obligation,” the statement emphasizes.

The civil society organizations call the move a direct replication of the Russian authoritarian model, stating:

“This ideological and institutional persecution of civil society mirrors Russia’s repressive system. We will not surrender Georgia’s future – not to the Ivanishvili regime, not to Murusidze’s judiciary, and not to the authoritarian systems of Putin or Lukashenko. We are united – for each other, for our beneficiaries, and for a free Georgia.”

The collective declaration follows a June 18 press briefing. The NGOs revealed that the Georgian government has begun enforcing the controversial foreign agent law passed in May despite mass protests and international condemnation.

On June 17, five NGOs received formal orders from Georgian judges demanding they hand over extensive documentation covering the last 17 months of their operations to the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The scope of the request includes personal data, internal correspondence, and operational records, which the organizations say could paralyze their work and threaten the safety and privacy of vulnerable populations they serve.

The NGOs have pledged to resist the pressure collectively, vowing not to comply with 'unlawful demands' and not to allow civil society to be silenced under what they label an imported authoritarian model.