TBILISI, September 22 – Dozens of Georgian civil society groups say the government has begun a new wave of repression, using a controversial law on foreign funding to target their work.
In a joint statement released by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), twenty non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of weaponizing the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, led by Razhden Kuprashvili, to enforce what they called “repressive” rules.
The dispute centers on the so-called “Law on Grants,” which parliament amended in April 2025 to expand state monitoring of organizations receiving outside support. NGOs and Western governments have criticized the measure as Georgia’s version of a “foreign agents” law, similar to legislation used in Russia.
According to the groups, since September 8 they have received official letters demanding vast amounts of information about their activities, including data covering periods before the law even came into force on April 17. They argue that this violates both procedure and substance: “The Bureau does not even cite which articles of the law justify its requests,” the statement said.
When several organizations refused to comply, the Bureau went to court. On September 17, Tbilisi City Court ordered nine NGOs to hand over detailed records, adopting the Bureau’s reasoning almost word for word. The NGOs say this undermines judicial oversight and puts at risk not only their independence but also sensitive personal data.
Despite the pressure, the signatories, including groups working on human rights, transparency, women’s initiatives, and torture survivors’ rehabilitation, pledged to continue their work. “We will use every legal means to defend our rights and those of Georgia’s citizens,” the statement declared.
