Freedom House Flags Georgia Over 'Transnational Repression' Concerns
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Freedom House has identified Georgia as one of six additional countries accused of using tactics of "transnational repression," alongside Afghanistan, Benin, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, in a report reviewing incidents in 2025.
The report examines cases where governments target critics beyond their borders through methods such as harassment, threats, assault, kidnapping, and even assassination. According to Freedom House, "at least 54 governments, or over a quarter of all countries in the world, have tried to silence dissidents abroad."
"More and more governments are attempting to silence critics who have fled their home countries to seek freedom," said Jamie Fly. "This disturbing trend should be a wake-up call for policymakers around the world." He added that such practices are becoming "more sophisticated" and warned that "authoritarians are increasingly working together to target individuals abroad."
The report does not cite specific cases involving Georgia. Still, it comes after several high-profile and disputed incidents.
In May 2025, Giorgi Bachiashvili said he had been abducted from abroad and brought back to Georgia. He linked the operation to former State Security Service chief Anri Okhanashvili. Bachiashvili, who had been convicted in multiple cases, was later released in February 2026 after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Another case cited by critics is the April 5, 2026, deportation of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov. He was detained in Georgia for insulting a police officer on social media, fined, and expelled the same day with a three-year entry ban. Authorities argued that Azerbaijan had dropped its criminal case against him, making an interim measure by the European Court of Human Rights no longer relevant. His lawyers disputed that interpretation and warned he could face risks upon return. Sadigov was briefly detained after arriving in Baku.
The Freedom House findings come as the organization has also downgraded Georgia's democracy score by four points to 51 out of 100, calling it the largest decline in the Eurasia region and maintaining the country's status as "partly free."
