The U.S. Department of State has published its 2024 Human Rights Report on Georgia, noting that among the significant negative human rights developments in the country last year was the enactment of the so-called “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence.”
According to the report, credible non-governmental organizations stated that this law restricted freedoms of expression and association. The report also highlighted other controversial laws adopted by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Specifically, it listed the so-called “Law on Family Values and Protection of Minors,” which criminalized certain types of expression, as well as campaigns of intimidation, coercion, and misuse of administrative resources that limited freedom of expression, particularly in the context of the October parliamentary elections.
The document cited major human rights concerns, including credible reports of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; arbitrary arrest and detention; and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom. These included violence and threats of violence against citizens and journalists, unjust arrests and criminal prosecutions of journalists, and the chilling effect of the so-called transparency and family values laws.
It also stressed that while the government took steps to investigate and punish some officials responsible for human rights abuses, impunity remained a problem.
The report additionally addressed Georgia’s occupied regions. The Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia remained outside the control of the central government, with the de facto authorities backed by Russian forces. Significant human rights issues in the occupied territories included credible reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions. In both regions, Russian and de facto authorities committed abuses with impunity.
