HRW: Georgian Government ‘Gambles with Freedom’

The November 7 events in Georgia caused “a serious human rights crisis,” Human Rights Watch said in its annual report issued on January 31.

“This crisis occurred in the context of an emerging but dominant view among the governing political elite and its supporters that short-term, supposedly minor sacrifices in human rights are justifiable to build a stronger state, which can better protect human rights in the long term,” the report reads. “This approach, however, is leading Georgia away from international standards and represents a gamble with freedom.”

It said that prior to the events most international actors had “resisted robustly challenging Georgia’s compromises on human rights.”

The report also raises problems related with prison overcrowding, restrictions on free trial and property rights abuses.

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