The Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) once again condemns the continued efforts by the Georgian government to close civic space, limit basic freedoms and undermine the activities of citizen observers. Most recently, at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, a Tbilisi City Court judge froze bank accounts of at least seven non-governmental organizations, including GNDEM member and citizen observation organization the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). The actions of the Prosecutor’s Office are retribution against civil society over public protests started after the Georgian government’s decision to halt the EU accession talks following the contested 2024 parliamentary elections.

The actions of the Prosecutor’s Office, like other actions of the Georgian government, limits legitimate public discourse and undermine independent civic organizations in violation of Articles 17 and 22 of the Georgian Constitution that protected the rights of citizens to hold opinions and freedom of association, respectively. These actions are also in contravention of Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 19 and 22 of the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Georgia is a signatory.

GNDEM further notes that the actions of the Prosecutor’s Office come in advance of local government elections on October 4, 2025 and following public statements by ISFED highlighting changes to the electoral law that benefit the ruling party and stating Georgia has failed to meet the Venice Commission's standards for Good Practice in Electoral Matters. This comes following the Georgian Government’s decision not to invite the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the local government elections.

The efforts of the Prosecutor’s Office clearly undermine the transparency and accountability of the upcoming local government elections. Citizen observers, including ISFED, are recognized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders as well as the Venice Commission as a human rights defender who serve to protect civil and political rights of citizens. As such, the UN Special Rapporteur declared that “member states are urged to take all necessary steps to establish conditions that allow national and international election observers to effectively do their work, and to protect them from any violence, threats, retaliation, adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of their legitimate exercise of their rights and freedoms.”

The Georgian government has been engaged in a persistent campaign against citizen observers dating back to before the 2024 parliamentary elections and this statement builds upon GNDEM’s previous statements of July 2, 2025 “ GNDEM Expresses Its Ongoing Serious Concern Over the Continued Closing of Civic Space in Georgia”; of May 13, 2025 “GNDEM Expresses its Solidarity with Citizen Observers Targeted by Russian-Style Foreign Influence Law”; and of November 7, 2024 “GNDEM Expresses Its Concern with Challenges to the Credibility of Citizen Observers in Georgia.”

GNDEM stands in solidarity with our members in Georgia and all nonpartisan civic actors whose constitutional freedoms of opinion and association are under attack. We commend the decisions of ISFED and the other affected civic organizations to continue to carry out their missions to serve the Georgian people despite the repressive actions of the Georgian government and potentially at personal risk. We urge the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office and other authorities to cease their persistent attacks on civil society and to respect the Georgian Constitution and its international human rights commitments and adhere to their responsibility to protect citizen election observers as human rights defenders in accordance with international law.