Human Rights House Foundation statement
HRC58 – Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue – Human rights defenders (Georgia)
6 March 2025
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We thank the Special Rapporteur for her country report on Georgia. Her subsequent communications and public statements alongside the High Commissioner and many other mandate holders should leave us in no doubt about the human rights crisis in the country.
Since her visit, the human rights situation in Georgia has sharply deteriorated. Authorities have used excessive force and intimidation against peaceful protesters and human rights defenders, and in many documented cases this has amounted to the use of torture and ill-treatment. Such incidents have gone without investigation or redress. This situation goes against all Georgia’s international obligations, its public statements on human rights, and its own laws.
Furthermore, Georgia has introduced restrictive legislation, such as the “foreign influence” law, that stigmatises and now criminalises civil society activity. We have also witnessed an increase in threats and attacks against human rights defenders, with little accountability or investigation.
We echo the Special Rapporteur’s repeated calls for the Georgian authorities to immediately end the targeting of human rights defenders, repeal legislation that stifles civic space, and fully investigate violence against peaceful protestors. We call on Georgia to meaningfully engage with the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations and uphold its obligations under international human rights law.
Vice-President.
We ask the Special Rapporteur how states can reinforce her recommendations at both bilateral and multilateral levels, to encourage Georgia to swiftly address the urgent concerns she has raised.
Thank you.
Top photo: Mariam Nikuradze:OC Media
