Homes of Protest-Linked Fund Managers Searched
Early morning of April 29, officers from the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office and, in some cases, allegedly, representatives of the State Security Service searched the homes of public fund managers supporting the ongoing protests.
Journalist and media personality Nanuka Zhorzholiani was the first to report the arrival of officers at her home at 8:40 a.m. The search was also conducted in the apartment belonging to daughter Mariam Geguchadze. The search of activist Mariam Bajelidze‘s home began around the same time. The homes of the other fund managers were also searched. Zhorzholiani and Bajelidze were not allowed to record the searches. The searches of their homes began in the presence of minors. The officers reportedly had a court order. The officers also searched the home of Aleko Tskitishvili, the director of the Human Rights Center, which is providing legal assistance to the protesters.
Later in the afternoon, the Prosecutor’s Office stated that the searches stemmed from the investigation launched in March, when five public funds supporting the protests, mainly by covering fines for road blockades, were frozen. At the time, prosecutors said the investigation was opened under charges related to sabotage, assisting a foreign country, organization, or foreign-controlled entity in hostile activities, and financing actions against Georgia’s constitutional order, citing Articles 318, 319, and 321¹ of the Criminal Code. They accused the funds of promoting civil unrest and illegal activities. The Prosecutor’s Office said searches were conducted at the homes of Nanuka Zhorzholiani, Aleksandre Tskitishvili, Lasha Arveladze, Guga Khelaia, and Mariam Bajelidze.
The search of the house of Mariam Bajelidze, who is pregnant, was completed in the afternoon. She said that the officers took her cell phone and laptops from her family members. She added that the search began without granting her request for a lawyer.
Journalists, several opposition politicians, and activists have mobilized near Nanuka Zhorzholiani’s house, where police were mobilized in large numbers and completely blocked the entrances to the residential block. The search of her house lasted for more than six hours.
President Salome Zurabishvili responded to the raids, calling them “yet another authoritarian attempt to stifle dissent and silence democratic voices.” She added that the GD may be trying to instill fear, “but it will only strengthen our resolve.
NOTE: This news article was updated on April 29 at 1:15 p.m. to include the Prosecutor’s Office statement on the searches, and at 4:05 p.m. to add President Salome Zurabishvili’s post.
Also Read:
- 17/03/2025 – Funds Supporting Protesters Frozen
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