The functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 24 June 2026 (24th sitting) (see Doc. 16420, report of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations
and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring
Committee), co-rapporteurs: Ms Edite Estrela and Ms Sabina Ćudić). Text adopted by the Assembly on
24 June 2026 (24th sitting).
1. The Parliamentary Assembly fully
reiterates its
Resolution 2561
(2024) “Challenges to democracy in Georgia”,
Resolution 2585 (2025) “Challenge,
on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary
delegation of Georgia”,
Resolution 2600
(2025) “The situation in Georgia and follow-up to
Resolution 2585 (2025) ‘Challenge,
on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary
delegation of Georgia’” and
Resolution 2624
(2025) “Upholding democracy and the rule of law in Georgia”,
in which it expressed serious concerns about the democratic breakdown
and deep political and social crisis in Georgia.
2. Regrettably, since the adoption of
Resolution 2624 (2025), democratic
backsliding has continued unabated, as has the crackdown on civil
society, political opposition and dissent. None of the urgent recommendations
of the Assembly have been addressed. The continuing breakdown of
democracy in Georgia, and the lack of any response to the recommendations
of the Assembly to address this, raise serious doubts about the
authorities’ willingness to abide by Georgia’s membership obligations
and accession commitments to the Council of Europe.
3. Nevertheless, the Assembly remains committed to an open and
results-oriented dialogue with the Georgian authorities as well
as with all other political and social forces in the country. It
emphasises that such a dialogue should be based on the shared understanding
that membership of the Council of Europe is a privilege that comes
with rights and obligations. The principles and standards of the
Organisation, as well as the obligations stemming from membership
and the imperative need to fully honour these obligations, cannot be
called into question or negotiated.
4. The initiative to ban practically all democratic opposition
parties in Georgia and the criminal prosecution of their leadership
on politically motivated and trumped-up charges is unacceptable.
The Assembly reiterates that, if pursued, this course of action
would effectively establish a one-party dictatorship in Georgia,
which violates essential democratic principles and is incompatible
with Council of Europe membership. It insists that the Georgian
authorities repeal without delay their appeal to the Constitutional
Court to ban the democratic opposition parties and end the unjustified
and politically motivated prosecution of their leadership.
5. As a result of the relentless crackdown on the democratic
opposition, civil society and independent media, as well as the
extreme social and political polarisation in the country, the conditions
for holding genuinely democratic elections currently do not exist
in Georgia. The Assembly therefore reiterates its call on the Georgian
authorities to initiate as a priority an open and inclusive political
process involving all political forces and civil stakeholders, to
re-establish a genuinely free and democratic political environment
in the country, in line with the clear expectations and ambitions
of Georgian society.
6. The continued relentless crackdown on freedom of expression
and freedom of assembly, including through repressive legislation
and the abuse of politically motivated legal proceedings against
civil society, independent media, opposition forces and individual
protesters, should end at once. Politically motivated prosecutions
with no other objective than to silence dissenting voices raise
the spectre of the existence of political prisoners and are incompatible
with a democratic society and Georgia’s membership obligations to
the Council of Europe. The Assembly recalls in this respect, as
a guideline, its
Resolution 1900
(2012) “The definition of political prisoner”. In this
context, it deeply deplores the politically motivated and disproportionate sentences
of opposition leaders and others, including Nika Melia and Elene
Khoshtaria, on clearly trumped-up charges.
7. The Assembly calls upon the Georgian authorities to fully
repeal the recently adopted repressive legislation, in particular
the controversial amendments to the Criminal Code, the Law on Political
Unions of Citizens as well as the Code of Administrative Offences.
It reiterates its recommendation that the Code of Administrative
Offences be replaced by an entirely new law to be developed in close
consultation with the Council of Europe to ensure its compliance
with European norms and standards, including the European Convention
on Human Rights (ETS No. 5, the Convention).
8. The Assembly reiterates that a dynamic and pluralistic civil
society is essential for a well-functioning democracy. Civil society
plays a pivotal role in a country’s democratic development and is
a vital source of democratic expertise. The Assembly deplores the
increasingly shrinking space in which civil society can operate,
which threatens its very existence. This trend must be reversed.
The Assembly also condemns the continued assault on civil society
organisations and their leadership, as well as independent media,
including through the abuse of controversial legislation. As a first
step, the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and the Law on
the Registration of Foreign Agents (GEOFARA), along with the recent
amendments to the Law on Grants, should be repealed, in line with
the recommendations of the European Commission for Democracy through
Law (Venice Commission).
9. The Assembly is concerned about the impact of the recent education
reforms on academic freedom in Georgia. The independence of academia
should be ensured. In addition, in order to dispel understandable corruption
concerns, the Assembly calls on the authorities to establish a transparent
and independent mechanism to govern the privatisation of any university
assets that may now have become surplus as a result of the new “One
City – One Faculty” reform.
10. The Assembly deplores that, despite its many calls to the
contrary, no credible investigations have been conducted into police
brutality and other human rights abuses committed during demonstrations,
nor into the many reports of torture and ill-treatment of demonstrators
during their arrest and detention. It takes note of the recent report
of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its periodic visits
to Georgia from 18 to 29 November 2024 and from 21 to 22 January 2025.
It shares the serious concerns expressed in it. It is particularly
concerned about the reports that prohibited chemical agents have
been used for the dispersal of protests in Tbilisi. A credible,
independent and effective investigation into these allegations needs
to be urgently established.
11. The Assembly calls upon the Georgian authorities to fully
implement the general measures demanded by the European Court of
Human Rights in its judgments in the Tsaava
and Others v. Georgia, Mekvabishvili v.
Georgia, Makarashvili and
Others v. Georgia, A.D. and
Others v. Georgia and Identoba
and Others v. Georgia cases, as well as in all other
77 judgments by the Court that are pending satisfactory execution.
12. The Assembly takes note of the report of the expert appointed
under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Moscow Mechanism that was invoked by 24 OSCE participating States.
It fully shares its findings and conclusions, which coincide with
this and previous resolutions on the democratic backsliding in Georgia.
It urges the Georgian authorities to fully implement the recommendations
made in this report.
13. The Assembly condemns the recent act of transnational repression
against Afgan Sadigov, an Azerbaijani journalist, who was deported
from Georgia through expedited proceedings on 5 April 2026 despite an
interim measure issued by the European Court of Human Rights prohibiting
his removal to Azerbaijan.
14. In this context, the Assembly reiterates its call to the relevant
bodies of the Council of Europe to use all available means, including
those under Article 52 of the Convention, and its invitation to
all Council of Europe member States to consider the use of interstate
applications to the European Court of Human Rights under Article 33
of the Convention, to ensure that Georgia fully honours all the
standards and obligations stemming from Council of Europe membership.
It regrets that to date no use has been made of these mechanisms provided
for by the Convention.
