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Nine international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), have called on the European Union and its member states to take decisive action against what they describe as escalating repression of civil society in Georgia.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the groups urged the EU to publicly condemn the Georgian government’s targeting of local NGOs and to deliver a unified message during the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council. HRW’s Europe and Central Asia advocacy director, Iskra Kirova, stated that the harassment of civil society groups violates Georgia’s obligations under multiple international treaties.
The appeal follows the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to freeze the assets of seven NGOs, accusing them of funding violent protests in 2024. Among them, the International Society of Fair Elections and Democracy denounced the move as a violation of human rights and a threat to Georgia’s European integration.
The rights groups also called for the EU to invoke the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, which allows participating states to address human rights concerns in fellow member countries. This follows the activation of the Vienna Mechanism against Georgia in 2024.
Protests erupted in Georgia last October over alleged election irregularities and the suspension of EU accession talks. The government’s response included arrests of opposition figures, prison sentences for demonstrators, and documented cases of gender-based violence. In February 2025, the EU passed a resolution rejecting the legitimacy of Georgia’s newly elected authorities.
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