Context
The incidents documented in October 2024 indicate the continuation of pressure against individuals engaged in civic activism and the expression of critical opinions. During the reporting period, both physical attacks and the use of investigative and administrative mechanisms were documented, affecting researchers, representatives of civil society, and individuals affiliated with international organisations.
Particular attention during October was drawn to measures taken against researchers and representatives of analytical organisations, including searches and restrictions on access to bank accounts. A number of domestic and international actors assessed these measures as a form of pressure against civil society and critical research activities.
During the same period, the Constitutional Court’s decision not to suspend the operation of the so-called “Russian Law” further intensified concerns regarding its potential impact on civic space and the activities of independent organisations in the country.
Incidents
On 10 October 2024, the Plenum of the Constitutional Court of Georgia decided not to suspend the operation of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, commonly referred to as the “Russian Law,” pending the Court’s final judgment. Despite the applicants’ request, the Court did not grant the motion to suspend the contested provisions. However, it declared the constitutional complaints partially admissible for examination on the merits. The decision adopted by the Plenum of the Constitutional Court was published on the Court’s official website.
On 19 October 2024, Badri Oqujava, a researcher at SovLab, was attacked by a group of individuals at the intersection of Barnovi and Machavariani Streets. According to Oqujava, approximately ten individuals attacked him while he was on his way to work. Women were also among the perpetrators. The researcher believes that the attack was premeditated and politically motivated. According to his account, the attackers repeatedly struck him in the back and then poured paint over him.
Between 24 and 29 October 2024, investigators from the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance conducted searches at the homes of Eto Buziashvili and Sopho Gelava, two employees of the U.S.-based organisation the Atlantic Council. Computer equipment was seized from their homes. Investigators from the Financial Police Investigation Service also searched the residence of brothers Onise and Sandro Tskhadadze. According to members of Onise Tskhadadze’s family, investigators stated that the reason for the search was his employment with an international company.
On 29 October, pursuant to a court order, the bank accounts of Sopho Gelava and Eto Buziashvili were frozen. According to the Financial Police, the court authorised this measure within the framework of the so-called “call centre case.” As a result, both researchers working on Russian disinformation were denied access to their personal bank accounts. The U.S. Helsinki Commission also commented on the case, describing the freezing of the bank accounts as an attempt to exert pressure on Georgia’s civil society and the Atlantic Council.
