GEORGIA: NGOs Under Fire & more – 25th Sep 2025

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 25th of September twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

NGOs are saying the government is ramping up a crackdown on civil society, using the Anti-Corruption Bureau as a tool. Around thirty organizations got letters demanding massive amounts of data. On Wednesday, the 17th, a Tbilisi court approved the bureau’s request against nine NGOs, forcing them to hand over internal records.

Groups say the bureau ignores basic legal procedures and uses vague justifications for requesting sensitive information, which leaves personal data at risk. They say the whole process is a harassment campaign designed to weaken human rights and democracy watchdogs.

Next up, on Sunday, the 21st, a group of Georgian veterans living abroad released a video appeal to the country’s security forces. Gogi Shaishmelashvili, a former high-ranking member of the special tasks department, who resigned from his post after his department was used to brutally crack down on pro-European protests, read the message.

Veterans urged officers to break away from a corrupt, pro-Russian system and honor their oath to serve Georgia. They say the ruling party relies solely on security services to maintain power and ordinary officers carry the burden of following their orders.

In other news, on Saturday, the 20th, South Ossetia, Georgia’s separatist region under Russian control, marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of its Republic with a military parade. Their leader, Alan Gagloev, asked Georgia’s ruling party to take the next step and recognize South Ossetia as a state, saying it would be a step toward justice and peace. Russian official Sergei Kiriyenko also spoke at the event, reading Putin’s message that promised ongoing support for the region’s security and economy.

It’s no wonder that Goglaev is talking about the next step, as the Georgian Dream or the Kotsebi party has been blaming the previous administration led by Misha Saakashvili for starting the two thousand eight Russian-Georgian war.

Switching gears, on Friday, the 19th, Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Kotsebi party and by far the richest man in the country, hosted the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Tbilisi. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili also attended the meeting.

Ivanishvili thanked the Sheikh for visiting and praised the growing friendship and economic ties between Georgia and the UAE, pointing to major Emirati investments as proof. The Sheikh said relations will soon reach a new level, confirming the launch of a 6 billion dollar project, promising scholarships for Georgian students, and support for AI training

Speaking of Ivanishvili, on the same day, the Georgian Nightmare Non-Recognition amendment, prepared by the U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, was officially included in the U.S. State Department Authorization Act. It says the U.S. would refuse to recognize any Georgian government led or controlled by Bidzina Ivanishvili. Wilson says Ivanishvili has hurt Georgians while cozying up to Russia, China, and Iran. The State Department Authorization Act sets the department’s budget, powers, and priorities. The full act still needs to pass Congress and be signed by the President.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the 19th, the UK imposed sanctions on two Georgian businessmen, Levan Vasadze and Otar Partskhaladze, freezing their assets in Britain and banning them from entering the country.

Vasadze, who has been spreading ultra-conservative anti-Western views in Georgia for years, faces sanctions for supporting actions that threaten Ukraine’s stability and territorial integrity. Partskhaladze is sanctioned for benefiting from or supporting the Russian government through his role at a company linked to Russia’s strategic financial and construction sectors.

The UK also sanctioned two Russian oil ships and two companies involved in transporting Russian oil to Batumi, in western Georgia, calling them part of a shadow fleet funding Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In an update to a story from our previous show… Last week, we reported that Juansher Burchuladze, who was the Minister of Defense until last year, was arrested for abuse of power, corruption, and hiding illegal income.

However, his former colleagues are not done with him and are now investigating his relatives. On Friday, the 19th, authorities announced they seized over 300,000 untaxed cigarette packs from an underground factory linked to Burchuladze’s family, worth more than 2 million lari (about 750,000 dollars). They say Burchuladze’s relative set up an underground cigarette factory in Gori, central Georgia, in twenty twenty-three.

Police arrested the factory’s founder, its director, and a former bodyguard of Burchuladze. They now face criminal charges that could lead to seven to ten years in prison.

In similar news, on Wednesday, the 24th, Georgia’s State Security Service launched a manhunt for Bidziko Paikidze, a former businessman and a ruling party member of Vani’s city council, western Georgia. Investigators say he and his partners defrauded the state of more than 4 million lari, about 1.5 million dollars, by taking money for road and riverbank repair projects but either inflating costs or not completing the work at all.

Police already arrested the company’s director, an employee and three supervisors, while Paikidze remains on the run. He faces charges that carry six to nine years in prison. Independent media first linked his companies to millions in state contracts back in twenty twenty, and records show he donated money to the Kotsebi in twenty sixteen.

Paikidze is also the godfather of Grigol Liluashvili’s son. Liluashvili was the chief of the State Security Service for years and just recently resigned, so someone close to him being targeted by his former department led to rumours that he might be next.

On another note, on Wednesday, the 24th, speaking at the UN General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Europe about the danger of ignoring Russian influence. He said the West was slow to support Georgia and Belarus, and now both countries are under Moscow’s influence and control, with rights and democratic values steadily eroding. Zelenskyy stressed that Europe cannot allow the same outcome in Moldova and urged stronger support to prevent it.

Also on Wednesday, 24th, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Peter Fischer, accusing him of interfering in the country’s internal affairs and encouraging the opposition's radical agenda. Officials told him he violated the Vienna Convention by fueling polarization in Georgian society. They also questioned why Germany’s embassy voiced concern about hate speech and disinformation, demanding evidence. This was the first time that Georgia had summoned a German Ambassador.

This step followed weeks of attacks from ruling party leaders, who accused Fischer of siding with the opposition and even blamed him for political violence that had erupted in the streets. Germany strongly rejected the accusations, saying they damage relations. The EU and twenty-six other embassies also defended Fischer and released a statement of support.

Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, is a finalist for the twenty twenty-five Sakharov Prize. European parliamentarians nominated her for her work in journalism and media management, for her fight for freedom of expression and human rights. She was arrested during a pro-European protest and sentenced to two years on charges of resisting a police officer.

The winner will be revealed in December in Strasbourg during the European Parliament plenary session. The Sakharov Prize, established in nineteen eighty-eight in honor of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, recognizes individuals and organizations who make exceptional contributions to defending human rights, the rule of law, democracy, peace, and international cooperation.

Finishing off this episode, a Georgian chef’s restaurant in Bruges, Belgium, has been named the country’s best meat restaurant. De Verloren Hoek, or The Lost Corner, run by Zurab Sabanashvili, focuses on premium dry-aged meats and seafood. Sabanashvili has lived abroad for thirty-two years and started his career at a small café on the same site, which he later bought and transformed into a high-end restaurant. The venue is highly sought-after, with reservations booked months in advance. The menu mainly follows European culinary traditions but also features several Georgian wines.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Nakhvamdis!