The Social Justice Center responds to the decision of the Gori Municipality City Hall, which unilaterally terminated the usufruct agreement with the Gori House of Arts. As a result of this decision, the Gori House of Arts, where several civil society organizations operate and public and cultural events are regularly held, is no longer allowed to use a municipal building, putting the space at risk of closure. The Social Justice Center believes that the decision of the Gori Municipality is not only discriminatory and restrictive of freedom of expression but also represents a continuation of the policy of repression against civil society organizations and collectives.

In previous years, the building that now houses the Gori House of Arts was abandoned and used as a public restroom and landfill. In 2016, the non-profit organization Gori Photographers' Club began cleaning and rehabilitating the space. The renovation and development of this building are the result of years of tireless work by this organization. Eventually, the Gori House of Arts became a cultural and social hub of the city of Gori, hosting various cultural and educational events, including exhibitions, public lectures, workshops, film screenings, and educational courses. The Gori House of Arts has always been open to all interested parties and has acquired the identity of a democratic and progressive public space in Gori.

Since 2016, the legal relationship between the Gori Municipality and the Gori Photographers' Club was regulated by a renewable, free usufruct agreement every two years. Most recently, on September 23, 2024, the Gori Municipality and the Gori Photographers' Club signed another usufruct agreement for two years. However, unexpectedly, two months later, the municipality demanded the termination of the agreement.

The organizers of the Gori House of Arts associate the termination of the agreement with a collaborative exhibition held in the space on November 16, 2024. The exhibition was a reflection on ongoing protests in the country and featured phrases used by protest participants throughout the history of independent Georgia. The main message of the exhibition was, "A war-torn city does not apologize." Just five days after this exhibition, the Gori Municipality sent a notification to the organizers of the House of Arts, demanding the immediate termination of the usufruct agreement.

The municipality cited different reasons for the termination at different times. Initially, it claimed that the Gori Photographers' Club had failed to meet the condition of separating the electricity system. However, this argument appeared unfounded since the municipality had been paying for electricity in previous years, and the Gori Photographers' Club had already applied to the electricity distribution company for individual metering and was awaiting their response. Later, the municipality started talking about plans to establish an innovative center for youth in the same building.

On December 20, 2024, the organizers of the House of Arts filed a civil lawsuit with the Gori City Court. In court, the Gori Municipality will have to prove that it genuinely plans to establish an innovative center for youth in this space and that it cannot fulfill this interest using other resources. The municipality will also have to prove that the need and interest in establishing an innovative youth center did not exist on September 23, 2024, when it renewed the usufruct agreement with the Gori Photographers' Club.

The inconsistent reasoning provided by the mayor's office regarding the termination of the agreement indicates that the decision is unfounded, arbitrary, and driven by clearly discriminatory motives. It seems that the Gori Municipality is attempting to punish local activists and critical artists for their civic positions on the rise of authoritarianism and the anti-Western foreign policy direction in the country.

Following the adoption of the so-called “Russian Law” against civil society and the media, repressive practices against civil society have also been observed in other cities. For example, the Tetritskaro Youth Center was similarly arbitrarily closed by the municipality, depriving young people of the only cultural and educational center in the area. In recent years, other forms and formats of cooperation between local self-governments and civil society have also been discontinued, and the ruling “Georgian Dream” party is attempting to suppress and repress civil society even in peripheral areas.

The Social Justice Center expresses full solidarity with the Gori House of Arts and is ready to use its resources to support them.

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