Georgia: Escalating Harassment of Anti-Torture NGOs and Journalists Threatens Survivors’ Right to Redress and Justice

Between November 2024 and February 2025, a nationwide wave of violent attacks and harassment by Georgian law enforcement agencies targeted journalists and civil society observers who were documenting police violence and extracustodial torture during anti-government protests.

The torture of protesters by Georgian police was the most widespread and systematic in November-December 2024, and included gang beatings on the street and in custody that left dozens of people hospitalised with broken bones and injuries to faces and eye sockets. Members of the Georgian Ombudsman’s office visited 156 detainees held in detention centres across the country, and 124 persons (80%), reported having been subjected to violence and ill-treatment.

Since November 2024, at least thirty-seven reporters have been fined for alleged administrative offenses such as “blocking roads” or “disobeying police orders” while covering protests and monitoring police misconduct. In some cases, fines reached up to ten times Georgia’s average monthly salary. In October 2025, two journalists from TV Formula Keta Tsitskishvili and Vakho Sanaia were detained for five and six days respectively on the same administrative charges.

Since late September 2025, Georgia has also witnessed a troubling escalation in Government rhetoric and propaganda targeting private universities, including those that train professionals in the field of human rights reporting, and academic autonomy in general. The campaign began on September 28, when the pro-government broadcaster Imedi TVaired the first in a series of reports falsely accusing Georgian universities of supporting terrorism and engaging in anti-Chinese activities—allegations that appeared to lay the groundwork for a broader political attack.

In March and August 2025, authorities escalated their campaign by freezing the bank accounts of twelve non-governmental organisations—including six leading human rights groups documenting police brutality and torture or supporting survivors—under fabricated “sabotage” charges. The targeted organisations include the Civil Society Foundation, Sapari, the Social Justice Center, the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information, Human Rights House Tbilisi, and the Shame Movement.

Ordinary human rights activities—such as purchasing protective equipment for monitors or providing legal and other assistance to victims—have been reclassified by authorities as “acts of sabotage.” Leaders of these organisations have been summoned for questioning by the Prosecutor’s Office as witnesses, though their status could change at any time. In May 2025, the residence of Aleko Tskitishvili, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center and founding member of Human Rights House Tbilisi, was searched by law enforcement in connection with the “sabotage” investigation, in what appears to be a clear act of intimidation.

In June 2025, following a motion by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Tbilisi City Court—citing the Law on Combating Corruption, the Law on Political Associations, and the Law on Grants—ordered eight civil society organisations (CSOs) to disclose extensive sensitive data, including the identities of torture survivors and victims of domestic violence who had received legal and psychosocial support. Faced with the risk of exposing victims to reprisals, some of the affected organisations destroyed sensitive files, citing their ethical obligations and international legal standards. By early October 2025, at least seven CSOs had received additional inspection notices for alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), including for the destruction of beneficiary data. This process has gravely endangered survivors and violated fundamental principles of confidentiality and data protection.

The repression has been accompanied by an aggressive smear campaign against civil society, including anti-torture organisations, with the Georgian Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT) at its center. On 19 October 2025, the State-aligned broadcaster ImediTV aired a defamatory report falsely accusing GCRT of “supporting terrorism” with funds from the European Commission. These baseless allegations—amplified on social media and echoed by ruling party figures—seek to delegitimise GCRT’s essential work with survivors and to instill fear among victims considering seeking help. The campaign reflects a broader State strategy to discredit and silence those documenting torture and police abuse.

These developments unfold amid a rapidly deteriorating civic environment. Through restrictive laws, financial suffocation, judicial harassment, smear campaigns, and unlawful surveillance, the ruling Georgian Dream party has systematically sought to neutralise independent oversight and consolidate political control. Legislation such as FARA and the amended Law on Grants criminalises foreign-funded human rights work without State approval, imposes burdensome reporting obligations, and exposes both staff and beneficiaries to serious risk.

The consequences for anti-torture organisations and the survivors they support are severe. Many CSOs have been forced to scale back or suspend operations, cutting off access to essential medical, psychological, and legal assistance. Survivors of torture and domestic violence now face a stark choice between seeking help and risking exposure. In one instance, the destruction of confidential physical files—though necessary to protect survivors—has also led to the partial loss of vital case documentation, undermining accountability and access to justice. This systematic repression is dismantling Georgia’s human rights infrastructure, re-traumatising victims, and obstructing the very process of rehabilitation and redress that anti-torture organisations exist to provide.

In May and December 2024, the UATC previously expressed its concern regarding the widely documented cases of torture and other forms of ill-treatment against participants in anti-government protests. To date, effective investigations into these cases have not been carried out. The Special Investigation Service — the body mandated to investigate acts of torture and other abuses committed by law enforcement officials — was dissolved as of 1 July 2025, amounting to an institutionalisation of impunity. At the same time, members of the UATC continue to document cases of torture and other ill-treatment targeting dissenting voices.

The United Against Torture Consortium calls on the Georgian authorities to:

• Immediately cease all instances of torture and other ill-treatment and ensure that all detainees are treated in accordance with international human rights standards;
• Immediately cease all forms of judicial, administrative and other forms of harassment against human rights defenders and journalists, including those documenting torture and supporting survivors;
• Unfreeze the assets of targeted civil society organisations;
• End the ongoing smear campaigns against civil society, and ensure that public officials and State-aligned media refrain from stigmatising their work;
• Repeal the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the Law on Grants, and bring domestic legislation into full compliance with Georgia’s international human rights obligations;
• Guarantee the protection and confidentiality of survivors of torture and ensure that no person seeking assistance from civil society organisations faces intimidation, exposure, or reprisals.
• Ensure prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment;
• Hold all perpetrators accountable, including those in positions of command responsibility;
• Re-establish or strengthen an independent investigative mechanism with the mandate, resources, and authority to investigate acts of torture committed by law enforcement officials.

The United Against Torture Consortium pools the strengths and expertise of six leading anti-torture organisations (IRCT, OMCT, FIACAT, APT, Omega Research Foundation and REDRESS) in partnership with over 200 civil society organisations in more than 100 countries, to strengthen and expand the anti-torture movement. The European Union funds the project. The present statement was issued by FIACAT, IRCT, Omega Research Foundation, OMCT and Redress.

For more information, please contact Maryia Kvitsinskaya at mkv@omct.org.