Georgia NGOs: Court Ruling Threatens Freedom of Association
A Georgian court order is imperiling the freedom of association by demanding sensitive data from civil society groups. Five organizations must now surrender beneficiary details,activities,and grants,sparking international condemnation. Amnesty International decries this as a blatant attack on human rights defenders fighting both corruption and government overreach. This move threatens freedom of expression and association,escalating fears that this will undermine Georgia’s commitment to human rights. The NGOs are planning legal challenges. News Directory 3 is following this story closely. Discover what’s next as these groups fight for their rights in Georgian courts.
Georgian Court Order against Civil Society Sparks rights Concerns
Updated June 19, 2025
A recent court order in Tbilisi, Georgia, has mandated that five independent civil society organizations provide the Anti-Corruption Bureau with sensitive information regarding their beneficiaries, activities, and grants. The move is raising alarms about increasing government control and potential violations of human rights.
The affected organizations include Openness International Georgia, Sapari, Civil Society Foundation, Economic Policy Research Center, and Georgia’s Future Academy. The court order demands extensive programmatic, administrative, financial, and personal data dating back to Jan. 1, 2024.
Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, condemned the order as a weaponization of the justice system against human rights defenders and independent civil society organizations. he emphasized that targeting those who fight corruption undermines Georgia’s international human rights obligations, specifically the rights to freedom of expression and association. The crackdown on civil society is escalating.
Targeting those who fight for justice and combat corruption is contrary to Georgia’s international human rights obligations including the rights to freedom of expression and association
Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Krivosheev added that forcing NGOs to surrender sensitive data, including beneficiary names, photos, banking records, and health information, compromises their independence and grants disproportionate governmental control. He called for the order to be reversed and for the repeal of repressive legislation targeting civil society. The focus on anti-corruption efforts should not come at the expense of fundamental freedoms.
The court order invokes the Law on Grants, the Law on Political Associations of Citizens, and the Law on Combatting Corruption, all recently amended by the ruling Georgian Dream party.These amendments are viewed by critics as a campaign to curtail freedom of association,freedom of expression and other human rights.
The NGOs have denounced the court order and pledged to challenge it legally.
What’s next
The targeted organizations plan to contest the order in court, setting the stage for a legal battle over civil society’s role and independence in Georgia. The international community is watching closely, with potential implications for Georgia’s relationship with international bodies.