51 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have signed a statement entitled “authoritarian regression in Georgia”.
Representatives of 24 PACE member states warn the Georgian authorities – if no progress is seen “in moving away from authoritarianism”, the delegates will “question the authority of the Georgian delegation on the merits” and will call on the Assembly and the Council of Ministers to initiate a procedure to expel Georgia for serious violations of basic principles.
The signatories of the appeal recalled that on 29 January 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly adopted Resolution 2585, which ratified the credentials of the delegation of Georgia on the condition that Georgia would achieve democratic criteria by April 2025. The conditions included, among others, the release of political prisoners and the holding of new parliamentary elections based on improved electoral conditions.
“However, the situation has deteriorated dramatically. Opposition leaders have been imprisoned. Civil society activists and journalists have been subjected to politically motivated criminal prosecutions. These are no longer isolated cases, but a systematic campaign to eliminate the democratic opposition, restrict freedom of speech and suppress civil society,” the document says.
PACE members also note that the Georgian delegation unilaterally withdrew from the Assembly.
“This path of repression and withdrawal violates Georgia’s obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and contradicts the authority of the Assembly. The Assembly must honour its rules and resolutions. Ignoring the authoritarian backlash within a member state undermines the foundation of this institution,” the statement said.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, commenting on the statement, criticised the European bureaucracy for” complete absurdity”, noting that PACE demands a halt to a status that Georgia has already “independently suspended”.
On 26 June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held a debate on the situation in Georgia. Many participants noted that belonging to Europe implies respect for the rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, and the protection of democracy and human rights is a prerequisite for membership in the European Community.
For more than a year, the Georgian authorities have been passing laws that hinder the work of the civil sector and independent media and limit freedom of expression. On 28 November 2024, the head of the Georgian Dream, who is also Prime Minister, announced that the authorities would no longer raise the issue of starting negotiations on European integration. This triggered the start of large-scale rallies, which were repeatedly dispersed by security forces, using excessive force. None of them have been punished for violence against journalists and demonstrators.