Statement from 69 Georgian civil society organizations:

We would like to express our full solidarity and support to Civil Society Foundation, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), Democracy Defenders, Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI), Sapari, and Social Justice Center. 

The punitive measures taken against Georgian non-governmental organizations, resembling those of the Russian authorities, demonstrate that Ivanishvili’s government is determined to completely eliminate critical voices and pro-European groups in Georgia. All of this is happening at a time when Ivanishvili’s government has been given a concrete deadline by Europe to respond to whether they wish to preserve visa-free travel for the Georgian people. Through such actions, Ivanishvili’s government once again signals to the European Union that it has no interest in maintaining visa-free travel for Georgia.

Creating such obstacles for Georgian NGOs, which defend the rights and interests of the Georgian population, also shows that the ruling party’s goal is to leave Georgian citizens without any assistance against the government’s repressive actions. By shutting down these organizations, thousands of people are being deprived of free legal aid and other essential services.

We stand by your side, united in our shared aspiration for a free, fair, and democratic Georgia.