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).Provisional
version subject to editorial review.
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) “Uphold 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 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 its membership
and the imperative need to fully honour these obligations, cannot be
put 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 to 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 the 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 disproportional 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).
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 the
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 now may 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 the protest 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 on
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 European Convention on Human Rights,
and its invitation to all Council of Europe member States to consider
the use of interstate applications to the European Court on Human
Rights under Article 33 of the Convention, to ensure that Georgia
fully honour 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 European Convention on Human
Rights.
