Political persecution, corruption, and other issues: US State department report on Georgia

State department report on Georgia

The US State Department has released a report on the human rights situation in Georgia for the year 2023. The 68-page report provides an overview of the processes that took place throughout the year, addressing issues such as the judicial system, political persecutions, corruption, and other problems.

Specifically, the State Department highlights serious human rights violations, including:

• Torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;
• Arbitrary detention;
• Serious concerns regarding the independence of the judiciary, investigations, and criminal prosecutions, many of which were considered politically motivated;
• Arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy;
• Significant restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of speech, including violence and threats of violence against journalists;
• Substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and association;
• Serious corruption within the government;
• Crimes related to violence or threats of violence against LGBTQ+ individuals and activists.

According to the report, the Georgian government has taken steps to investigate human rights violations involving some officials, but impunity remains a problem.

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Judicial system

According to the US State Department:

• Despite constitutional provisions for an independent judiciary, the government did not respect the court’s independence and impartiality in political cases.
• Judges were vulnerable to political pressure when making decisions on politically related cases.
• The Office of the Public Defender, the Coalition of NGOs for Independent and Transparent Judiciary, and the international community continued to express concern about the lack of independence in the judiciary. They highlighted issues, including the influence of a group of judges, mainly consisting of members of the High Council of Justice and court chairpersons, who suppressed critical voices within the judicial system and obstructed proposals to strengthen judicial independence.
• Non-governmental organizations emphasized the lack of transparency in the activities of the High Council of Justice and deficiencies in the appointment of judges and court chairpersons by the High Council of Justice.
• Some former and current judges publicly stated that senior judges pressured them to make specific decisions in particular cases.
• Analyzing four waves of judicial reform and other legislative changes since 2013, civil society representatives agreed that due to the lack of political will to create an independent judicial system, these reforms have been ineffective. The vast majority of positive changes in legislation remained unrealized or only partially implemented.
• On November 8, 2023, the European Commission recommended to the European Council to grant Georgia candidate status for EU membership, provided that Georgia implements nine reforms, including effective judicial reform, with a particular emphasis on the High Council of Justice.

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European integration

“Throughout the year, Georgians have advocated for EU membership. There were also public protests against a bill that jeopardizes Georgia’s candidate status in the EU.

In December, the European Council approved candidate country status and recommended further progress in nine areas, including democratic elections, judicial reforms, and improving human rights protection,” the report states.

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Political persecution

“There were instances where the government restricted the ability of public figures, political opponents, and journalists to criticize the government or discuss issues of public interest,” the report states.

According to the report, in 2023, there were reports of political prisoners and detainees in Georgia.

“On June 22, president Zurabishvili pardoned Nika Gvaramia, the head of the opposition TV channel ‘Mtavari Arkhi,’ whose imprisonment was assessed by the ombudsman, international, and local non-governmental organizations as politically motivated.

According to the public defender, the case was politically motivated and violated Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict,” it continues.

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Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The report states that in 2023, Abkhazia and South Ossetia remained outside the control of the Georgian government, with de facto governance supported by Russian troops:

“Key human rights issues in the occupied regions included credible reports of killings, arbitrary arrests or detentions; restrictions on freedom of movement, especially for ethnic Georgians; limitations on ethnic Georgians’ ability to register property, conduct business, and receive education in their native language; Russia and de facto authorities committed crimes with impunity in both regions,” the report says.

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