Civicidea

In a sweeping new crackdown, the government has not only tightened its grip on protests with an onslaught of restrictive laws but has now frozen the assets of key civil society funds—organizations that provided essential aid to activists, protesters, and vulnerable groups. Among those affected are Nanuka’s Fund, managed by journalist Nanuka Zhorzholiani, Prosperity Georgia, run by former Prime Minister and currently a businessman Nika Gilauri, and Human Rights House Tbilisi. These three public funds have been crucial in offering financial assistance to individuals fined during the ongoing anti-regime protests or dismissed from their jobs due to their civic activism. This latest move comes despite the Venice Commission’s urgent warning that these legislative changes grant authorities dangerously broad discretion, increasing the risk of abuse.

The speed and severity of these measures paint a clear picture: dissent is no longer just discouraged; it is being systematically dismantled and criminalized. On March 17, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office announced freezing bank accounts belonging to several independent funds, including the well-known “Shame” movement and “Tbilisi Human Rights House.” The justification? Allegations that these organizations were financing “violent” protests—claims that, in the absence of compelling evidence, seem more like a pretext for the financial suffocation of civil society and, more importantly, activists and protest participants. These funds had long served as lifelines, covering medical expenses, administrative fines, and other support for those targeted by the regime’s ever-expanding repressive toolkit.

The crackdown directly connects with the government’s sweeping amendments to administrative law, drastically increasing fines and penalties for protest-related offenses. Under the new legal framework, individuals can face crippling fines of 5,000 GEL (1800 USD) for minor infractions such as blocking roads or engaging in so-called “illegal” gatherings. Protesters and activists, many of whom have been detained under vague charges like “petty hooliganism” or “insulting an official,” have relied on these civil society funds to cover these exorbitant penalties. Now, the authorities are branding these very acts of solidarity as criminal, accusing the frozen funds of “financing illegal activities” and “encouraging civil unrest.”

In a now-familiar pattern, authorities framed these crackdowns as a necessary response to threats against national stability. The Prosecutor’s Office alleged that protests had turned violent, citing instances of police injuries and property damage. But eyewitness accounts and independent reports suggest a different reality—one where disproportionate police force, arbitrary detentions, and sweeping accusations against activists are the norm. The government’s narrative of external subversion conveniently ignores its own role in escalating tensions.

International watchdogs have sounded the alarm, with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) categorically stating that the new laws violate Georgia’s obligations under international human rights law. They warn of a dangerous precedent: the right to peaceful assembly could become meaningless under Georgian law if such measures stand unchallenged. The European Union and other international partners now face a pressing question—how to respond to an increasingly authoritarian government that remains rhetorically pro-European while systematically eroding democratic norms?

The message from Georgian Dream is clear: protests will be punished, dissent will be costly, and even acts of solidarity will be treated as crimes. What was once a promising democracy is being dismantled piece by piece, paving the way for an oligarchic banana republic where power is absolute and accountability is extinct. Whether the world will push back remains to be seen—but history shows that pressure works. In Venezuela, Iran, Belarus, and beyond, international banks and institutions have defied politically motivated asset freezes, forcing cracks in authoritarian overreach. Georgia’s case should be no different. If democratic values still mean anything, now is the time to act. How much further must this go before the world refuses to look away?