TBILISI, August 31 – A fresh clash has erupted between Georgia’s authorities and the UK Embassy over the treatment of civil society groups.
The embassy said it was “deeply disturbed” by the Prosecutor General’s Office decision to freeze the bank accounts of seven NGOs under investigation for alleged sabotage. It warned the move looked politically motivated, aimed at silencing critical voices rather than addressing unlawful activity. The UK stressed the organizations support free elections, free information, and vulnerable groups, and said closing them would harm ordinary Georgians and erode democratic protections.
Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili responded sharply, calling the statement “unfriendly.” He linked it to a recent dispute over foreign funding, pointing out that earlier this year the UK tried to provide a large grant to the opposition-linked outlet Tabula and a UNM affiliated group called Academy of the Future. Both are critical of holding local elections scheduled for October.
Papuashvili argued that the UK ignored calls for transparency about which groups it sought to fund during the 2024 election period. He suggested this raised “legitimate doubts” over whether London supports the elections or rather seeks to strengthen groups working to undermine them.
