The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has begun examining the merits of a case concerning the freezing of the bank accounts of five Georgian civil society organizations, reported the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED).
ISFED said the Court launched the substantive proceedings on June 25, 2026, in the case brought by the Social Justice Center, the Civil Society Foundation, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), and Sapari.
The organizations filed their application with the Strasbourg-based court on October 15, 2025.
ISFED says the ECHR has designated the application as an Impact Case, meaning it is considered likely to have significant implications for the Court’s case law, national legislation, and broader human rights and public interest issues.
“The commencement of the merits examination under this procedure sends an important message to the Georgian authorities that any actions aimed at restricting civil society activities, criminalizing human rights work, or persecuting independent organizations will be subject to international legal scrutiny and will not remain without an appropriate response,” ISFED said.
In their application, the organizations argue that the freezing of their bank accounts violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of association, as well as Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, which protects the peaceful enjoyment of property.
They also invoke Article 18 of the Convention in conjunction with those provisions, arguing that restrictions on their rights were imposed for improper purposes rather than legitimate ones permitted under the Convention.
The applicants contend that freezing their bank accounts constituted an unlawful and disproportionate interference with their property rights, served no legitimate aim, and was carried out in violation of the Convention. They further argue that the authorities’ actual objective was to dismantle critical civil society organizations by restricting their activities.
The case stems from a decision made in August 2025, when a Georgian court, acting on a request from the Prosecutor’s Office, ordered the freezing of the bank accounts of seven Georgian civil society organizations.
At the time, the Prosecutor’s Office alleged that the organizations had “coordinated” financial support for participants in anti-government protests held the previous year, claiming the funds were used to facilitate “violent acts against law enforcement officers.”
