Additional Context: This information was collected by Human Rights Watch, or HRW, in an interview with a former staff member of the East-West Management Institute, which implemented the USAID-funded project. The activity was a five-year rule of law program working to increase citizen oversight and provide legal assistance to those facing judicial action in Georgia. According to HRW, this USAID project was the main source of legal aid funding in the country, circumventing restrictions on foreign aid that were signed into national law in 2024. The termination of the project thus removed access to about $1 million in legal aid to people facing trial following their participation in protests against the suspension of European Union accession talks by the Georgian Government.

Source: Human Rights Watch