The Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) expresses its ongoing serious concern over the continued closing of civic space in Georgia. Most recently, the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) presented court orders to a number of civic organizations, including GNDEM member the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), requiring them to provide essentially all organizational information for the period from January 1, 2024, to June 10, 2025. The information being demanded includes legally protected personal data of the organizations’ beneficiaries and partners. In addition, there have been repeated social media posts attacking these organizations and individuals associated with them by name, and questioning their patriotism and loyalty to Georgia.

These actions not only threaten the safety of Georgian citizens, but seek to limit public discourse and undermine independent civic organizations in violation of Articles 17 and 22 of the Georgian Constitution that protect the rights of citizens to hold opinions and freedom of association, respectively. These actions similarly are also in convention with Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 19 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Georgia is a signatory.

Further, as a citizen observer organization, ISFED and those associated with the organization are recognized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders as well as the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) as a human rights defender who serve to protect civil and political rights of citizens. As such, the UN Special Rapporteur declares 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.”

This statement builds upon GNDEM’s previous statements addressing Georgia’s Russian-style foreign influence law and other efforts to undermine the credibility of Georgian citizen election observers following the October 26 parliamentary election.

GNDEM stands in solidarity with our members in Georgia and all nonpartisan civic actors whose constitutional freedoms of opinion and association are under threat. We urge the Georgian authorities to respect the Georgian Constitution and its international human rights commitments and adhere to their responsibility to protect human rights defenders in accordance with international law.