The European Parliament, Zurabishvili and Amnesty International condemn the freezing of Georgian NGOs' accounts
The freezing of the accounts of seven non-governmental organizations in Georgia has caused a sharp reaction both inside and outside the country.
The European Parliament's rapporteur on Georgia, Rasa Juknevičienė, called the court's decision an example of repression against civil society and compared the government's actions to Russian practice. According to her, the investigation into "sabotage" in which the NGOs are being investigated is far-fetched, and the EU must give a clear answer so that "Georgia is not forgotten."
The country's fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, expressed a similar position. At a press conference on August 27, she said that the authorities "have brought the country one step closer to the Russian model" and are using "absurd accusations" against the civil sector. According to the former president, putting up with this would essentially mean "handing Georgia over to Russia," but she is confident that society will not agree to this.
The international human rights organization Amnesty International also criticized the actions of the Georgian government, pointing out that blocking accounts and initiating criminal cases under the article on "sabotage" directly restricts the activities of independent organizations and threatens their leaders. The organization's statement notes that by hindering the work of human rights defenders, the authorities themselves "sabotage the rights of their own population."
