UN Human Rights Chief's Report Raises Concerns Over Georgia's Rights Record
By Messenger Staff
Friday, July 3, 2026
The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva heard a report from High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on the human rights situation in Georgia, presented by Maarit Kohonen Sheriff, director of the Global Operations Division at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Kohonen Sheriff said OHCHR has tracked legislative and political developments in Georgia that raise serious human rights concerns, noting that 2025 saw the continued adoption of laws restricting civic space and undermining the right to peaceful assembly. She said the office remains troubled by reports of rights violations tied to protest rallies, including "arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment, and disproportionate use of force against demonstrators and journalists."
OHCHR is urging Georgian authorities to investigate all allegations of criminal conduct. Kohonen Sheriff pointed to the arrest of five current and former law enforcement officers in May over alleged violence against protesters in 2024 as a response from authorities, while calling for "prompt, independent, and detailed investigations into all such allegations" to ensure accountability and guarantee fair trials with due process and judicial review.
Türk's report includes recommendations directed at the Georgian government concerning protection of the right to peaceful assembly and what it calls serious allegations of human rights violations that authorities must address. The High Commissioner is calling for a review of legislation passed in recent years and is urging Tbilisi to restore an environment conducive to civil society by limiting any restrictions on foreign funding for NGOs and broadcasters to what is strictly necessary and proportionate.
OHCHR acknowledged its continued cooperation with the Georgian government, including maintaining a presence in Tbilisi, and said it remains committed to supporting the country in addressing the issues raised. Its recommendations call on Tbilisi to lay out concrete steps to protect the right to peaceful assembly and respond to the violations documented in the report covering June 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024, particularly unlawful arrests of protesters and excessive force against journalists and media workers.
The report also calls for independent investigations into all such allegations, a review of 2025 amendments to the Broadcasting Law, the Criminal Code, the Law on Grants, the Law on Assembly and Demonstrations, and the Code of Administrative Offences to bring them in line with international human rights law, including Articles 19, 20, and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and greater transparency and public participation in future legislative processes. It further urges Georgia to step up efforts against gender discrimination and violence, including by reviewing gender-related legal changes made in 2025.
On the occupied territories, OHCHR said the continued lack of access for international and regional human rights bodies to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region remains a matter of regret, and it renewed calls for immediate, unimpeded access for relevant bodies, including itself. The office is calling on all parties to lift movement restrictions and open checkpoints along the administrative boundary lines, respond to reports of rights violations affecting ethnic Georgians in the Gali and Akhalgori districts and displaced persons, and ensure international organizations can operate freely.
The report also calls on parties to investigate violations of the right to life and cases of torture or ill-treatment, ensure accountability for those responsible, provide compensation to victims, and end arbitrary detention in accordance with international legal standards.
