We, the undersigned organizations, express our profound condemnation regarding the repressive measures perpetrated by representatives of the Georgian Dream party against public officials in recent weeks.

Following the fraudulent elections and the announcement by Irakli Kobakhidze, an unprecedented wave of public protests erupted – protests joined by countless civil servants.

Thousands of public officials publicly distanced themselves from the aforementioned proposal, whether through open letters or by signing petitions. They condemned the violence against peaceful protesters and reaffirmed their commitment to Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. In retaliation, a set of legislative amendments was hastily adopted – without sufficient deliberation – that significantly undermined existing legal protections for public officials. These changes paved the way for newly empowered repressive mechanisms targeting civil servants.

Over the past two weeks alone, dozens of public officials have been dismissed from their posts. Ironically, those who demanded that Georgian Dream representatives comply with Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia have themselves become victims of constitutional violations, as their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression has been curtailed.

We call upon the international community and the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia to stand firmly with public officials, to denounce the repressive actions taken by Georgian Dream, and to intensify pressure on the ruling party to immediately halt the unlawful political persecution, threats, and politically motivated dismissals of public servants.

Signatories

• Association of Law Firms of Georgia (ALFG)

• Civil Society Foundation (CSF)

• Civic Idea

• Democracy Defenders

• Democracy Research Institute (DRI)

• Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD)

• Europe Foundation

• Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI)

• GeoCase

• Georgia’s Future Academy

• Georgian Court Watch

• Georgian Strategic Analysis Center (GSAC)

• Green Alternative

• Human Rights Center (HRC)

• Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

• Institute of Western Democracy and Leadership (IWDL)

• Partnership for Human Rights (PHR)

• Rights Georgia

• Sapari

• Tbilisi Pride

• Tsertili

• Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG)