According to a new report published by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), a monitoring body of the Council of Europe, racism and intolerance against some ethnic and religious groups and, in particular, against LGBTI persons, remains a problem, despite some progress made since 2015, when previous report was published.
According to the report: “Certain activities of the Public Defender, linked to a specific part of the institution’s mandate (and the situation of imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili), attracted harsh criticism from some government officials and politicians,” and it recommends government members to refrain from comments that undermine the credibility, independence, and reputation of the institution of the Public Defender.
While acknowledging positive developments, such as decreased violent attacks against Jehovah’s Witnesses and providing identification documents to 78 Roma persons, the report stresses the need for continued efforts and recommends that the authorities focus their policies in the area of religion on the principle of non-discrimination and the promotion of religious tolerance.
The report highlights that following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, around 50,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war entered Georgia. The country provided these individuals with initial accommodation, healthcare, and education, while the Georgian society displayed a generally welcoming attitude. The ECRI report recommends developing a longer-term sustainable plan in support of people displaced from Ukraine.
The report speaks about tens of thousands of Russians arriving in Georgia and commends the authorities for swiftly addressing anti-Russian resentment and discriminatory treatment.
The report emphasizes the insufficient teaching of Georgian as a second language to historical ethnic minorities in Georgia. The ECRI recommends significantly increasing teaching hours for Georgian as a second language in primary and secondary schools attended by minority students. The ECRI will monitor the implementation of this recommendation in the next two years.
The report highlights the absence of a joint working group to address LGBTI equality issues, no possibility of registering same-sex partnerships, and the need for clear criteria for legal gender recognition. It also emphasizes the need to properly investigate violence during the LGBTI marches in Tbilisi in July 2021, address hate speech targeting LGBTI individuals online, and establish effective monitoring systems for hate speech and hate crime cases.
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