Prepared by Messenger Staff
Freedom House: Georgia Sees Sharpest Decline in Eurasia
Freedom House says Georgia recorded the largest drop in freedom scores in the Eurasian region in 2025, falling by four points.
According to the report, the decline comes amid ongoing protests that began in 2024 and continued into 2025, with demonstrators facing what it described as disproportionate force and ill-treatment by police.
It also points to pressure on opposition groups, saying critics of the ruling Georgian Dream party faced attacks, harassment, and new legal restrictions limiting their participation in public life.
The report highlights developments in the education sector, where some professors critical of the government were dismissed, and notes the creation of a parliamentary commission targeting opposition figures. It says some individuals who refused to cooperate were arrested and later sentenced.
"These measures contributed to Georgia's 4-point drop in ranking during the year, the largest in the Eurasian region," the report said.
Globally, only a few countries saw a steeper decline in political rights and civil liberties in 2025, including Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, and Madagascar.
Saakashvili Seeks to Attend Patriarch Ilia II's Funeral, Request Rejected
Imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili has asked to be allowed to attend the funeral of Ilia II, who died at the age of 93.
"I asked my lawyer to file an application and ask that I be taken to the funeral of the Patriarch, as his friend, the third president of Georgia," Saakashvili wrote on social media.
A day of mourning has been declared in Georgia following the Patriarch's death. He is set to be buried on March 22 at the Sioni Cathedral.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia said it had received the request from Saakashvili's lawyer but rejected it.
"On behalf of the third President of Georgia, the lawyer applied to the agency, however, their request does not comply with the norms provided for by the Code," the agency said.
Saakashvili remains in custody and will not be allowed to attend the funeral under current regulations.
