CoE HR Commissioner Mijatovic Urges Georgian Authorities to Tackle Discrimination Against Minorities

15/11/2023 - 19:12

On November 14, Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (CoE), published her submission to the Committee of Ministers in the context of the supervision of the execution of the Identoba and Others group of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This group of judgments relates to discrimination and manifestations of intolerance towards LGBTI people and other minority groups, as well as their right to freedom of assembly and expression.

The Commissioner noted improvements in the societal attitudes towards LGBTI people, religious and other minorities. However, she pointed out that authorities haven’t done enough to tackle the underlying reasons behind the manifestations of discrimination.

The Commissioner recommends the Georgian authorities implement six recommendations, set in the Commissioner’s report following her visit to Georgia in February 2022:

Commit to a zero-tolerance policy and practice towards all forms of discrimination and incitement to discrimination and violence, online and offline;
Combat persisting impunity for serious human rights violations committed against LGBTI people and members of religious and other minority groups, including through the imposition of criminal and other sanctions and restrictions on the activities of individuals and organizations, including political movements and media outlets, that advocate for and are involved directly or indirectly in acts of violence, or incitement to hatred against LGBTI people or other affected groups;
Identify and effectively address any existing patterns of institutional culture within law enforcement agencies or within the criminal justice system that may directly or indirectly contribute to promoting impunity for hate crimes against LGBTI people and religious or any other minorities;
Introduce a comprehensive set of measures to ensure effective enjoyment of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly of LGBTI people and other affected groups by enabling them to hold their public and private events and rallies in safety and security and protecting them from violence and threats of violence;
Prevent and combat hate speech, online and offline, including by addressing the most serious instances of incitement to hatred and violence which may warrant a criminal liability and creating an enabling environment for monitoring, self-regulation, and fostering counter-speech;
Develop and implement a comprehensive and multi-dimensional state policy on protecting the human rights of LGBTI people and other affected communities and combating intolerance and prejudices against them, including through targeted awareness-raising activities.

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