Georgia's State Security Service has questioned the head of the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Civil Society Development Programme, Tamar Karosanidze, in what it calls a case of “preparation for revolution and coup.”
The move increases the pressure on USAID as well as the Georgian civil society, while the Georgian government makes unprecedented accusations against the United States and Ukraine.
Natalia Vatsadze, a Georgian artist who attended the trainings, was also summoned for questioning.
"It seems that they were listening to our training, which is unacceptable and a violation of our rights. If they came and asked to sit with us, of course, they would be allowed to. Nothing special happened there," said Ms Vatsadze.
"Our interrogation serves one purpose - to intimidate artists," Ms Vatsadze told Netgazeti.
A number of civil society members have already been questioned in what is widely seen as a new wave of pressure by the Georgian Dream government against Georgia's civil society. However, the focus on the United States as a key player in a possible violent scenario is unprecedented.
In addition to Vatsadze, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) also interrogated other participants in the trainings, such as Formula TV photographer Vakho Kareli, member of the USAID’s Civil Society Development Program Ana Tsurtsumia-Zurabishvili as the actual trainers, three Serbian citizens, as leaders of CANVAS Georgia - Giorgi Meladze and Nini Gogiberidze.
The Serbian citizens, trainers for the Belgrade-based CANVAS (Center for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies), have been linked to the 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia and the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, which the SSG described as highly negative events.
The SSG also accused the Ukrainian authorities of being complicit in the "conspiracy" by organizing "guerrilla training on the Polish-Ukrainian border."
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