New Wave of Repression: House Search at Human Rights Activist Aleko Tsiklauri’s Home

When Human Rights Protection Becomes a State Enemy

The Georgian government no longer surprises anyone. In yet another act of state arbitrariness, on April 29, 2025, prosecutors raided the home of Aleko Tsiklauri, Director of the Center for Human Rights. And because in Georgia 2025 citizens are no longer treated with basic respect, Mr. Tsiklauri was first intercepted in front of his home and required to hand over his phone and personal belongings—properly sealed, of course, since the authorities still observe the form if not the spirit of the rule of law.

Only after this little show of power did state officials announce that a house search would be conducted based on a court order. Welcome to a country where it apparently takes a court order to suppress the idea of human rights.

Who Is Aleko Tsiklauri?

Aleko Tsiklauri is no stranger. As the head of the Center for Human Rights, he has worked tirelessly for years to promote democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of fundamental freedoms in Georgia. While the government likes to present itself in glossy brochures as a model European partner, Tsiklauri has documented the reality: harassment of activists, corruption, politically motivated prosecutions, and a judiciary whose independence is, at best, ornamental.

It is hardly surprising that he has now become a target himself—precisely because his work is so significant and inconvenient.

The New Strategy: Repression in the Name of Law

The search of Aleko Tsiklauri’s home follows a grimly logical pattern: anyone who openly supports human rights, European values, and democratic principles is criminalized. The fact that the prosecutors today presented a court warrant does not make the operation any more legitimate. In a system where court decisions are increasingly used as political tools, formalities are meaningless—at least to those who value true rule of law.

The real aim here is clear: intimidation. A clear warning to everyone still courageous enough to resist the government's authoritarian drift: whoever fights for the European idea will be personally and professionally destroyed.

Context: Protests for Europe’s Future

It is no coincidence that the government is now targeting prominent human rights defenders. For months, thousands have been protesting across Georgia—not just against the so-called "foreign agent law" but against the broader collapse of the country’s EU integration efforts.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the leadership in Tbilisi is not dreaming of European integration but of authoritarian stability inspired by far darker examples.

The protests, continuing day and night for months, are a desperate attempt by the Georgian people to save the European dream. And that is precisely why organizations like the Center for Human Rights are under attack: they provide the protests with legal, moral, and societal legitimacy.

Germany and Europe: Now Is the Time for Action

The question is no longer whether Georgia is failing on its European path—but whether Europe is willing to admit this failure. Germany, which has already imposed some sanctions on Georgian officials, must not ease the pressure.

On the contrary: in light of the attacks on the human rights movement, Berlin must urgently expand sanctions and make it clear that the road to Brussels does not run through house searches and intimidation of activists.

Economic and political consequences are needed—and needed now. Otherwise, repression in Georgia will escalate further while the government continues to present itself in Sunday speeches as a supposed "EU partner."

Human Rights Are Not a Crime

What happened to Aleko Tsiklauri today is not an isolated incident—it is part of a broader campaign to dismantle civil society.

Yet, despite the bleak situation, the idea of human rights, freedom, and a European future continues to live on in Georgia—carried by those who refuse to be silenced by threats, raids, and arrests.

And that is the true hope of this country: that courage will ultimately be stronger than repression.