Georgia’s women’s rights group says bank accounts frozen in ‘Russian-style repression’

Sapari, a Georgian women’s rights organisation, has accused the Georgian Dream authorities of intensifying “Russian-style repression” after its bank accounts were frozen by court order.

On Wednesday Tbilisi City Court approved a request from the Prosecutor’s Office to impose a freeze on the accounts of Sapari, a group that has worked for 24 years on women’s and girls’ rights, gender equality and the fight against domestic violence.

Sapari rejected the prosecutor’s allegation that its funds had been used to support “violent activities” or purchase equipment during the protests sparked in late 2024 following the government’s decision to delay the country’s EU integration until 2028, calling the claim “baseless and defamatory”.

“There is not a single piece of evidence against us,” the organisation claimed. “This decision once again demonstrates the strengthening of Russian-style repression against Georgian NGOs, aiming to silence critical voices and dismantle civil society.”

Sapari said it had supported thousands of women and children over the years in “stopping violence, restoring justice and survival itself” and vowed to continue its work both domestically and internationally. The group also appealed to the ruling Georgian Dream party to lift the freeze immediately and urged the international community to respond to what it described as an unprecedented assault on civil society in Georgia.

The organisation further warned that the decision posed a threat to the country’s democratic development and the safety of those defending justice, freedom and independence.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the ruling affected the bank accounts of a total of seven non-governmental organisations.