Georgian NGOs vow to continue work despite court-ordered bank account freezes

Seven Georgian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) whose bank accounts were frozen by court order have pledged to continue their activities, describing the restrictions as an attempt to suppress civil society and critical voices.

Keti Khutsishvili, the head of the Civil Society Foundation, on Wednesday said on behalf of the seven organisations, that the freeze would not stop their work “defending the rights of children, women, people with disabilities, students, workers, the elderly, and those unlawfully detained.”

“The enemies of the Georgian people want to prevent us from investigating and reporting injustice, corruption, torture, and systemic violence; from representing citizens in Strasbourg and other international courts; and from safeguarding achievements such as visa-free travel,” the NGOs said.

The organizations added they would continue to fight against “authoritarian rules and Russian-style laws” and would use all legal means to prevent opponents of Georgia’s democratic and European path from succeeding.

Levan Natroshvili, head of the NGO Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia), linked the government action to the ruling Georgian Dream party and warned it could undermine Georgia’s visa-free regime with the European Union. 

The Prosecutor’s Office, supported by Tbilisi City Court, froze the accounts on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged “sabotage” linked to the funding of protest activities at the end of 2024, following the Georgian Dream government’s decision to delay the country’s EU integration until 2028. Earlier, in March, bank accounts of other charitable organisations, including Nanuka’s Fund, were also frozen under the same investigation.

Georgian Dream MP Levan Machavariani said the NGOs had “indirectly encouraged participants in protests to commit further offences”, describing the account freezes as part of a response to sabotage. The investigation also alleged that the NGOs’ activities were “fully directed at providing financial protection for individuals involved in violent acts and their families.”