Prosecutors Summon NGO Heads to Testify in ‘Sabotage’ Probe

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia said on September 1 that it has summoned several NGO heads to testify in the “sabotage” probe, days after authorities froze the bank accounts of seven civil society organizations, claiming they equipped protesters who committed “violent acts” against police in 2024.

“To establish important circumstances in the case, heads of certain non-governmental organizations have been summoned in the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to testify as witnesses,” the Office said in the statement.

The Prosecutor General’s Office did not disclose who was summoned. Nino Dolidze, the former head of ISFED who led the organization in 2024, said she was one of those summoned and requested to testify before a magistrate judge.

The investigation is ongoing under several criminal charges, including “sabotage, attempted sabotage under aggravated circumstances, assisting a foreign organization or an organization under foreign influence in hostile activities, and financing actions against Georgia’s constitutional order and national security.” The charges carry penalties ranging from seven years to life in prison.

“The investigation into the criminal case has established that during 2024, the planning and organization of violent protest rallies in front of the Georgian parliament and across the country actively involved not only leaders of opposition political parties but also representatives of certain funds and non-governmental organizations,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

Earlier, the Office pointed to the organizations’ purchases of protest gear, including medical and face masks, special gas helmets, protective goggles, and pepper spray, as well as what it described as their “financial patronage” of protesters and their families, by covering fines and providing free legal aid. The pro–Georgian Dream TV channel Imedi then aired on August 27 what it presented as evidence in the case, showing that the NGOs were in fact targeted over seemingly minor purchases of protective equipment during police dispersals of protests in the spring and winter of 2024.

The freezing of key Georgian NGOs’ accounts drew widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally, with the EU urging the authorities to “immediately” reverse the move.

In the September 1 statement, the prosecutors also confirmed that this is the same investigation under which, in March, five solidarity funds were frozen. The funds had supported protesters, including by covering hefty fines.

Also Read:

• 31/08/2025 – International Reaction to Georgian Authorities Freezing CSOs’ Bank Accounts
• 29/08/2025 – EU Urges Georgia to ‘Immediately’ Unfreeze CSOs’ Bank Accounts
• 29/08/2025 – 18 Respirators, 20 Goggles: TV Imedi’s ‘Exclusives’ Air CSOs’ Spending in ‘Sabotage’ Probe
  

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