Canvas Georgia accuses Gov’t of pressure, urges int’l organisations for support

Canvas Georgia, a domestic representation of a Serbian NGO founded in 2005 to advocate for the use of nonviolent resistance in the promotion of human rights and democracy, on Monday accused the Georgian Government of exercising pressure following the allegations by the Georgian State Security Service over training domestic groups for alleged unrest in Georgia this fall. 

 

The SSS on Monday claimed the East-West Management Institute of the United States Agency for International Development programme had invited Serbian top representatives of Canvas, Sinisa Sikman, Jelena Stojsic and Slobodan Djinovic, to “train” domestic NGOs and individuals for planned unrest in Georgia, which it said had been coordinated and funded from abroad and  allegedly involving a former official under the United National Movement Government, Gia Lortkipanidze, currently serving in Ukraine’s military intelligence. 
The body claimed the training between September 26-29 in a Tbilisi hotel had been organised by Canvas Georgia. 

 

In its comments, Canvas Georgia claimed its director Giorgi Meladze had been referred to as an  “extremist lecturer” by Georgian officials due to his campaigning against the foreign agents bill earlier this year, which was labeled as a “Russian law” by domestic NGOs, opposition and the international community. The ruling party was forced to reject the bill following large public protests in May. 

 

It noted the Government campaigns “of threats” continued on September 18, when a representative of SSS announced at a public press conference that Canvas was involved in an alleged organized conspiracy against the state to overthrow the current government.

 

Canvas Georgia noted the invited facilitators were interviewed at SSS on September 29 and they left  Tbilisi on the following day without a comment as the interview had been classified as confidential and the participants could not reveal its details. 

 

“Canvas Georgia evaluates the mentioned cases as pressure on the head of the organization, on the activists who cooperate with the organization, receive education, and spread knowledge about strategic nonviolent campaigns.We call on international human rights organizations, supporters interested in the protection of democracy and human rights in Georgia to pay attention to the mentioned fact and to consider this topic as one of the priorities when interacting with relevant private and public structures and institutions operating in Georgia”, Canvas Georgia said, adding “we believe that this kind of support will significantly help activists interested in strengthening democracy in Georgia”.