Prepared by Messenger Staff
UN Human Rights Council Adopts Consensus Resolution on Georgia's Occupied Territories
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Georgia's occupied territories titled "Cooperation with Georgia" on October 8, 2025, in Geneva, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
The ministry stated that this was the first time the resolution, which Georgia has presented annually since 2017 and which focuses on the human rights situation in the occupied territories, was adopted by consensus.
Georgia's Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia presented the resolution at the Council's session. "By adopting the resolution by consensus, the Human Rights Council expressed unprecedented support for Georgia," the Foreign Ministry said.
The resolution reaffirms the Council's support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. It expresses serious concern about various forms of discrimination and human rights violations committed against the ethnic Georgian population in the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.
The document highlights the importance of the Geneva International Discussions, which were established under the August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement.
As in previous years, the resolution includes references to the occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region by Russia, as well as to the European Court of Human Rights decisions issued between 2021 and 2024.
The Council expressed concern that international and regional human rights monitoring mechanisms are still denied access to the occupied territories. It called for immediate and unrestricted access for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international and regional human rights bodies to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.
European People's Party Calls for Sanctions Against Georgian Leaders Over 'Fraudulent' Election
The European People's Party (EPP) has issued a statement declaring that the Georgian people "deserve democracy, not autocracy" and "aspire to integration with Europe, not isolation." The statement came in response to Georgia's October 4 local elections, which the EPP described as fraudulent.
"As the Georgian people continue their fight for their freedoms and a European future, Bidzina Ivanishvili's 'Georgian Dream' held yet another fraudulent election on October 4, marked by the lowest voter turnout in Georgia's history, which major opposition parties boycotted amid repression and violence against regime opponents," the statement said. "Recent detentions and threats of persecution from 'Georgian Dream' representatives aim to restrict people's right to protest, suppress the pro-Western opposition, and instill widespread fear in society."
The EPP urged the European Union to take concrete measures in response to the situation. "We call on 'Georgian Dream' to stop violence and repression and to respect the European aspirations of the Georgian people. We urge the European Union and its member states to impose targeted sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili and his enablers who are complicit in undermining democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Georgia," the statement read.
According to the party, the European Union should impose sanctions against individuals "undermining the rule of law and human rights in Georgia," emphasizing its support for the Georgian people's democratic and pro-European aspirations.
