OSCE Prepares Human Rights Probe as Georgia Slams Political Pressure
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, February 6, 2026
The OSCE has launched an independent expert mission to examine a sharp deterioration in Georgia's human rights record. The move follows the formal invocation of the Moscow Mechanism on January 29, 2026, by 24 member states who cited growing concerns over police violence, political detentions, and restrictive laws targeting civil society.
The mission, which does not require the host country's consent, is the 17th time the mechanism has been used since its creation in 1991. It will focus on documenting human rights developments since spring 2024 and assessing their impact on democratic institutions. While the exact arrival date for the experts is still being finalized, the OSCE confirmed that the mission will be composed of independent experts selected by participating states.
Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili responded to the probe by describing it as an unfair attempt by some member states to use international organizations as instruments of political pressure. She argued that Georgia has a conscientious attitude as a member state and has nothing to hide, but she questioned the objectivity of the selected experts.
The Foreign Minister stated that the Georgian Dream government protects the best interests of the people and that interested parties are welcome to come and assess the processes for themselves. However, she emphasized that how objective these experts will be is a separate matter. She further claimed that Georgia is being targeted by specific political groups that have already misused the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament to issue critical resolutions.
The Moscow Mechanism is one of the most serious investigative tools available to the OSCE. It allows for the appointment of a mission to study serious threats to the fulfillment of human rights commitments. In this case, the 24 initiating states (including the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Baltic nations) noted that a previous, less intense inquiry in late 2024 failed to provide satisfactory answers regarding police accountability and legislative reforms.
Opposition leaders in Georgia have described the activation of the mechanism as a significant signal and a potential step toward international consequences for the ruling party. Meanwhile, the government maintains that the probe is an interference in its internal affairs and suggests that international actors are being used to exert leverage over Georgia's domestic policy.
