Michael O'Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, arrived in Georgia this week for a series of meetings with government officials, oversight bodies, and civil society groups, as concerns mount over the country's human rights trajectory.
In a post published on April 13, O'Flaherty said he was visiting Georgia "to engage with government, authorities, and civil society on a range of important human rights concerns."
The visit comes as critics accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of tightening pressure on opposition figures, independent media, and non-governmental organizations.
Meetings began on April 14 with civil society representatives, who later briefed journalists on their discussions. Giorgi Kldiashvili, head of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, said the talks addressed core issues affecting the sector.
"The human rights situation in Georgia, the situation of civil society organizations, how they are able to work, under what conditions, and whether they are continuing their work were discussed," he said.
Concerns about media freedom and regulatory practices were also raised. Tamar Kintsurashvili of the Media Development Foundation described what participants see as a difficult operating environment.
"We provided information on the repressive environment in which civil society organizations and media have to operate," she said. "This included discussions on selective justice, where violence against journalists is not investigated, as well as the regulator's selective use of legislation restricting funding against media outlets with critical editorial policies."
Legal groups pointed to legislative and law enforcement concerns. Tamar Oniani from the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association said recent legal changes and protest-related issues were part of the conversation.
"We discussed with the Commissioner the current state of human rights in the country, including restrictive legislative acts that relate both to the shrinking space for civil society and to journalists' operational space, as well as to protests," she said. She added that the discussion also covered "the effectiveness of investigations into cases involving systemic torture and the use of unknown chemical substances against demonstrators."
Later, O'Flaherty met with Levan Ioseliani, Georgia's Public Defender. Ioseliani described the meeting as "very important," noting that it focused on the broader human rights picture and the work of his office.
"The discussions focused on the overall human rights situation in Georgia," he said, adding that the Commissioner also took interest in the Ombudsman's activities and the findings of the 2025 human rights report. According to Ioseliani, they also discussed "the general situation of organizations in Georgia" and "the latest legislative package of amendments adopted in parliament."
O'Flaherty is expected to continue his visit with meetings involving government officials and other state representatives in the coming days.
