Georgia Prosecutor Summons NGO Leaders in Sabotage Investigation
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
The Prosecutor General's Office of Georgia announced on September 1 that several leaders of non-governmental organizations have been summoned to testify as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged sabotage. The move comes a few days after authorities froze the bank accounts of seven civil society groups, accusing them of supporting violent protests in 2024.
"To establish important circumstances in the case, heads of certain non-governmental organizations have been summoned in the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia to testify as witnesses," the Office said in a statement.
The statement did not specify which individuals were called. However, former ISFED head Nino Dolidze confirmed she was among those summoned and said she had been asked to testify before a magistrate judge.
The probe covers several criminal charges, including sabotage, attempted sabotage under aggravated circumstances, assisting a foreign organization in hostile activities, and financing actions against Georgia's constitutional order and national security. If convicted, penalties range from seven years to life in prison.
According to prosecutors, the investigation has so far determined that leaders of opposition political parties, along with representatives of certain funds and NGOs, "actively" organized violent rallies outside parliament and in other parts of the country during 2024.
Authorities have previously accused the NGOs of purchasing items such as masks, helmets, goggles, and pepper spray, and of providing financial support to protesters and their families by paying fines and offering legal assistance. On August 27, broadcaster Imedi aired what it described as evidence in the case, although the footage suggested the groups were targeted for relatively minor purchases of protective gear during police crackdowns earlier in the year.
The freezing of accounts belonging to prominent NGOs has drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad. The European Union urged the Georgian authorities to reverse the decision "immediately."
Prosecutors also confirmed on September 1 that the current investigation is linked to the March decision to freeze the assets of five solidarity funds, which had been used to cover fines imposed on demonstrators.
