EC Report: President pardons select protesters detained in Georgia following guilt admissions, though many remain imprisoned

“Georgia must take urgent action to release all arbitrarily detained individuals, including politicians, journalists, and activists,” the European Commission’s report scheduled for official publication today reads.

“Human rights have been severely curtailed and undermined by increasingly repressive laws that infringe upon fundamental rights, in particular freedoms of expression, assembly and association, as well as equality and non-discrimination.

Legislative amendments adopted in October 2025 and March 2026 to the Law on political associations of citizens, the Law on grants, the Criminal Code and related legislation significantly expanded the restrictive legal framework governing civil society, political participation and foreign funding in Georgia.

In successive opinions, the Venice Commission held that these amendments, combined with previously adopted restrictive measures, impose disproportionate and unnecessary restrictions on the fundamental rights and political freedoms of the Georgian citizens, concerning in particular freedom of association and expression, and are contrary to international standards,” the document notes.

The report notes that the Prosecutor General brought charges in May 2026 against five police officers for abuse of power involving the use of violence during the 2024 demonstrations.

“However, the large majority of reported cases of torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement have yet to be investigated.

In August, a few individuals who had been arbitrarily detained in relation to the 2024-2025 protests were pardoned by the President, after admitting guilt. However, many more remain in custody. The excessive use of pre-trial detention and disproportionate sentencing deeply affect the right to a fair trial,” the report states.

Furthermore, the level of implementation of the Public Defender’s recommendations to state authorities remains very low.

“Implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments is inadequate, including systemic and structural issues regarding the justice system, penitentiary and law enforcement systems, and protection from discrimination.

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were not implemented and remain valid. In the current context, Georgia should take urgent action to release all arbitrarily detained people, including politicians, journalists and activists,” reads the European Commission report set to be released today.