Context
The incidents documented in September 2024 indicate the use of various forms of pressure against individuals engaged in civic activism and the expression of critical opinions. During the reporting period, incidents involving administrative detention, financial sanctions, and indirect pressure were documented, affecting activists, representatives of civil society, and individuals employed in the public sector.
September was particularly marked by the use of administrative and economic measures against activists. In addition, cases of alleged politically motivated dismissals from public employment were documented. According to human rights organisations, these dismissals may have been linked to the individuals’ publicly expressed criticism of the so-called “Russian Law.”
During the same period, legal and administrative measures directed against non-governmental organisations and their leadership raised concerns regarding potential restrictions on the activities of civil society. Overall, the incidents documented in September demonstrate that the practice of exerting pressure on critical and protest-related activities continued in various forms and targeted both individual activists and civil society organisations.
Incidents
On 4 September 2024, according to information reported by TV Pirveli, several public school principals were allegedly dismissed on political grounds. Those dismissed included Shorena Shamatava, principal of the public school in the village of Nokalakevi; Khatuna Bregvadze, principal of Public School No. 7 in Chiatura; and Mindia Gvelebiani, head of the public school in the village of Namashevi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) also issued a statement regarding these cases, highlighting possible discriminatory motives and noting that the dismissals may have been linked to the principals’ critical views expressed in relation to the so-called “Russian Law.”
On 9 September 2024, the Tbilisi City Court imposed a fine on activist Lekso Samkharadze, who had called Viktor Japaridze, a Member of Parliament supporting the so-called Russian Law, a “slave.”
On 14 September 2024, police detained businessman and civil activist Soso Babaev in Gori. He was accused of disobeying lawful police orders. Babaev owns a bar in Gori. For three days prior to the incident, preparations had been underway in the area surrounding his bar for the visit of Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream party. Babaev openly protested the disruption caused by these preparations and also announced on social media that he intended to hold a protest. On the morning of 14 September, while on his way to work, he was detained by police. He spent 48 hours in a temporary detention facility.
On 24 September 2024, the bank accounts of Boris Chele Kurua were frozen. The member of the Coalition for Change announced this on social media. According to Kurua, he had previously been fined GEL 500 in connection with protest activities, although the court decision had never been formally served on him. As he did not pay the fine, enforcement measures resulted in the freezing of his bank accounts.
On 24 September 2024, one month before the parliamentary elections, the Head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili, designated the organisations Transparency International Georgia and Choose Europe as entities pursuing declared electoral objectives. The Bureau also required the organisations, as well as their leaders, Eka Gigauri and Khatuna Lagazidze, to submit financial declarations within five days, warning that legal measures would be applied in case of non-compliance.
The organisations challenged the decision before the courts, arguing that it was unlawful because the designation subjected them to the Law on Political Associations of Citizens and imposed restrictions on their activities. Amid the resulting controversy, on 2 October, following a public appeal by the Prime Minister, the Anti-Corruption Bureau reversed its decision and, citing the interests of the country, officially revoked the organisations’ status as entities pursuing electoral objectives.
