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PACE Rapporteurs Visit Georgia

The delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) consisting of co-rapporteurs on Georgia Claude Kern (France, ALDE) and Edite Estrela (Portugal, SOC), carried out a fact-finding mission to Georgia from January 14 to 16. The aim of the visit was to assess Georgia’s compliance with its obligations and commitments as a Council of Europe member state, the CoE said, in particular in the light of the ongoing political crisis following the October elections and the suspension of EU accession negotiations.

The delegation met with Georgian Dream rump Parliament chair and members, as well as Georgian Dream Prime Minister, Georgian opposition leaders and the individuals detained during the ongoing protests during their visit.

Meeting with Georgian Dream Parliament Members

On January 15, the rapporteurs met with GD Parliament chair Shalva Papaushvili. The latter wrote: “During the meeting, we discussed the ongoing political and social processes in Georgia. The conversation touched on the activities of the parliament, the protection of human rights and Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union.” Papuashvili also stated that he “introduced the opposition’s tactics to the members of the Council of Europe delegation, which envisages boycotting the parliament and serves as a weapon of political struggle for the opposition after each election” and that the conversation also “touched upon the ongoing protests.” Papuashvili’s statement related to the meeting results said that ” the Georgian authorities are doing a lot of work to ensure that real, substantial steps towards EU integration are taken in a timely manner and that Georgia will be able to successfully complete the EU accession process in the coming years.”

The meeting was also attended by other GD MPs, including Vice-Speaker Tea Tsulukiani, Givi Mikanadze, and First Deputy Chairman of the GD party Irakli Kirtskhalia.

Meeting with Opposition

The meeting with three opposition coalitions Coalition for Change, UNM-Unity and Strong Georgia took place on January 16. Tina Bokuchava, a leader of the opposition Unity-UNM party, emphasized that the visit “does not serve to legitimize the de-facto government.” She indicated that the primary aim of the PACE mission was to gather reports on widespread human rights violations in Georgia, including allegations of mistreatment, torture, and repression.

Zurab Japaridze, leader of the opposition Coalition for Change, said that among the issues discussed were post-election developments, the actions of the GD government against peaceful demonstrators and the facts of torture. The police and “titushky” impunity were also discussed. Japaridze said that the opposition had stressed that there was only one solution, which consisted of two parts: “the release of political prisoners and the holding of new elections under a new [electoral] administration”.

Salome Samadashvili, a representative of the opposition Strong Georgia, remarked on the gravity of the political crisis. “Everyone closely follows the events in our country over the past few months, realizing that this country has never faced such a challenge in recent years,” she stated. “They also realize that without new elections, the country will not be able to emerge from the crisis.”

The PACE delegation also visited Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition party “Gakharia for Georgia,” at his home. Gakharia was physically assaulted the day before in Batumi and was hospitalized with a broken nose and concussion. According to a Gakharia for Georgia post on social media, “The main issue discussed at the meeting was the post-election developments in Georgia and the preservation of the country’s European future.” However, no additional details about the discussion were provided by either side.

Meeting with GD PM Irakli Kobakhidze

The official press -release by the GD PM administration said: “The meeting focused on the fruitful cooperation between Georgia and the Council of Europe, the October 26 parliamentary elections, and the ongoing processes in the country.” The statement adds that Kobakhidze “spoke in detail to the delegation about all issues of interest to them, including the political situation created after the parliamentary elections and the steps taken by state agencies to manage the process.”

The statement notes that Kobakhidze “drew attention to the opposition’s attempts to sabotage the state system and stated that the state is up to the challenge and any attempt to deliberately weaken the country’s most important institutions will be met with an appropriate response.”

Visit with Andro Chichinadze and Zviad Tsetskladze in Prison

The delegation also visited actor Andro Chichinadze and activist Zviad Tsetskladze in prison. They were arrested during the pro-European protests. Both individuals are charged under the Criminal Code of Georgia with participating in and organizing group violence and remain in custody.

Visit with General Prosecutor’s Office

PACE representatives held a meeting with Giorgi Gabitashvili, the General Prosecutor of Georgia, at the Prosecutor General’s Office on Thursday. The session was attended by First Deputy Prosecutor General Giorgi Badashvili, Amiran Guluashvili, Head of the Investigation Procedural Management Department of the Special Investigation Service, and Irakli Chilingarashvili, Head of the International Relations and Legal Support Department. According to the official statement from the Prosecutor’s Office, Gabitashvili briefed the attendees on the alleged “illegal actions” taken by protest participants during recent demonstrations on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. He also outlined the steps the Prosecutor’s Office has taken in response to these events.

This news was updated on January 17 at 12:10 to include information on the visit of PACE rapporteurs with GD General Prosecutor.


As shared on X, PACE will hold debates on Georgia during the January 27-31 session.

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This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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