Human Rights House Foundation statement
HRC59 – Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue – SR peaceful assembly and association
19 June 2025
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We align with the warning in the Special Rapporteur’s report that elections cannot be “genuine” where assembly and association rights are repressed.
In Georgia, those rights were already under strain before the 2024 elections, denounced by civil society as deeply flawed, and have further deteriorated since then.
Georgia’s new foreign agent law exposes NGOs to punitive fines, asset freezes and suspension, and now threatens criminal liability for non-compliance.
Yesterday, five Georgian civil society organisations reported receiving court orders, at the request of the authorities, demanding that they hand over sensitive information, including confidential data on individuals under their legal protection.
In addition, Baia Pataraia, the head of Union Sapari and member of Human Rights House Tbilisi, was fined more than 1,200 Euros for insulting a Georgian Dream Member of Parliament. This equates to around twice the average monthly salary in Georgia. The politically motivated action was in response to social media posts criticising the ruling party’s MP.
We echo the High Commissioner’s call in his report on Georgia this session to repeal the foreign agents law, as well as guaranteeing peaceful assembly, and halting arbitrary arrests.
President.
We ask the Special Rapporteur, what concrete support from the Human Rights Council would help Georgian human-rights defenders and critical independent media withstand the chilling effects of the foreign agents law in the months ahead?
