“Michael O’Flaherty is the Commissioner for Human Rights and, by rights, should be well-versed in human rights. This individual ought to be specific in his statements,” said MP Archil Gorduladze, Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia.

Gorduladze was commenting on the statement by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, which reads: “We recommend that the Georgian authorities repeal or fundamentally review legislative changes that impact freedom of association and expression.”

As Gorduladze pointed out, whilst political evaluations are naturally possible, the legal dimension is paramount when discussing human rights.

“We have seen nowhere, nor will we ever see, any actual legal basis for this criticism, because none exists within the legislation. This criticism lacks legal merit, given that every amendment we have passed fully complies with both the Georgian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

O’Flaherty is the person who, on several occasions in 2024, petitioned the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, both publicly and in writing, to demand the abolition of the Family Values and Protection of Minors Act under the pretext that it restricts human rights. It prompts a simple question: was O’Flaherty demanding that LGBT propaganda should not be prohibited by law, and consequently be permitted in schools and kindergartens? Was he demanding that representatives of this group should have the right to adopt children? Was he demanding that the provision banning incest be removed and revoked? Yes, this individual was demanding all of these things.

Following all of this, any statement of his, this so-called criticism, is completely devoid of legal substance and is solely aimed at implementing a policy that has, unfortunately, taken root across the European Union. A policy that can be described as a false and neoliberal attempt to trample human rights underfoot and enforce segregation,” Archil Gorduladze stated.