CoE Commissioner for Human Rights releases statement following his Georgia visit

Following his visit to Georgia from 14 to 15 April 2026, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, issued his end-of-visit statement.

“The Commissioner’s visit to Georgia focused on the continued lack of accountability of state agents for the violent dispersal of protests in 2024 and early 2025, the increasing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association and on the human rights of persons in and displaced from the occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia. He expresses his gratitude to the Georgian authorities for their cooperation and their availability at a high level. He commends the resilience of civil society, human rights defenders and journalists who continue to work within an increasingly restrictive environment,” reads the statement.

The CoE Commissioner remarks that no law enforcement agency has been held accountable for the violent crackdown on protests in 2024 and early 2025.

“The Commissioner followed up on recommendations issued after his visit of January 2025 concerning the lack of accountability for allegations of unlawful arrests and excessive use of force against protesters and journalists by law enforcement and unidentified masked individuals during public demonstrations in 2024 and early 2025.

The Commissioner, while welcoming a legislative proposal, announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs, which would require all law enforcement personnel to wear visible individual identification numbers, remains concerned that no law enforcement officers have been brought to justice for the violent dispersal of protests in 2024 and early 2025. In his meetings, he reiterated his call for an independent and thorough inquiry into the use of water cannons containing chemical substances against protesters,” reads the statement.

The commissioner believes that regulations related to holding protests in the country have become even stricter.

“Regarding increasingly restrictive legislation affecting the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, the Commissioner notes the cumulative impact of these laws and observes that the authorities have since adopted even more restrictive measures. New amendments to the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations require that prior notification is given to the police if a demonstration is held where vehicles or persons are moving, empower police to change the venue or time of the demonstration if it threatens the unhindered movement of vehicles or persons, and even prohibit protesters from ‘blocking’ the pavement,” he said.

Michael O’Flaherty emphasizes that amendments made to the Code on Administrative Law Violations raise concern.

“Changes to the Administrative Offences Code extend the 60-day detention periods introduced in February 2025 to other offences, such as wearing masks, blocking roads or erecting temporary structures during demonstrations, even when these offences are committed for the first time. New amendments to the Criminal Code introduce criminal sanctions liability of up to two years’ imprisonment for repeated protest-related administrative offences. The Commissioner expresses concern that these amendments significantly limit the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and seem to be incompatible with the principles of necessity and proportionality enshrined in the Convention,” he said.