HRW Criticizes Georgian Government Over Failure to Investigate Attacks on Critics
Human Rights Watch, an international human rights watchdog, called out the Georgian government for the lack of accountability and artificial delays in investigations of violent attacks against government critics. In a report published on August 20, the organization stressed that impunity for these attacks risks fueling further political violence and instability ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections in October 2024.
“A pattern of harassment and intimidation of activists, independent media, and government critics, if left unpunished, risks emboldening malicious actors to escalate violence in the months before Georgia’s upcoming elections,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. According to Williamson, “accountability for these brutal attacks and threats of violence is urgently needed.”
The watchdog noted that despite the attacks on “over a dozen” activists against the Foreign Agents Law, who in some of the cases had to be hospitalized, the police haven’t yet identified or arrested any suspects, and “there are concerning signs that they are not taking the necessary investigative steps to hold those responsible to account.”
According to the organization, it has documented six such attacks, including interviewing the survivors, reviewing legal filings and medical reports, collecting the video footage, and contacting the Minister of Interior and the Prosecutor General to inquire on the status of the investigation in these cases. The watchdog said they got a response from the Prosecutor General’s Office on August 19 saying that the Interior Ministry is investigating the attacks but no criminal prosecution has been initiated yet.
“Impunity for attacks against government critics sends an unmistakable signal that the authorities condone politically motivated violence when it serves their interests,” Williamson said. “The authorities can avoid sending this signal by conducting prompt, thorough, and effective investigations, capable of identifying individual assailants.”
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