Public Defender’s 2024 Human Rights Report

The Public Defender of Georgia released the 2024 Report on the State of Human Rights and Freedoms in the Country, which outlines a wide range of systemic violations, particularly during the May and November-December 2024 protests, and highlights major shortcomings and challenges, including institutional ones, in the protection of human rights in the country. The report stressed that the spring and winter of 2024 were particularly grave in this regard.

The annual report details serious instances of abuse during the popular protests, suppression of political rights, election-related violations, and systemic problems in law enforcement and the penitentiary system.

Protests Marked by Police Violence and Impunity

According to the Public Defender’s findings, the spring and winter of 2024 were particularly “grave and memorable” due to extensive violations during protest movements. The report highlights excessive use of force by law enforcement officers.

In addition to beatings and violence against citizens by law enforcement officers, this period was marked by persecution and violence against civil activists, journalists, and public figures, organized telephone threats, and violent intolerance expressed in various forms.

From April 15, 2024 to March 1, 2025, Ioseliani’s office visited 624 people who had been detained or injured during protests. Of these, 360 people (57.7%) reported being subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment. Among those detained in April and May 2024, 51.1% reported abuse, rising to 60% among those detained between November 28, 2024 and March 1, 2025.

Despite the mounting evidence, no law enforcement officers have been held accountable for abuses committed during the protests, the report notes. The absence of preventative measures—such as officer identification—and the lack of consequences were cited as factors that contributed to the escalation of force in later demonstrations.

Civil Liberties and Assembly Rights Under Threat

The report expresses deep concern about the police practice of dispersing entire demonstrations, “instead of responding individually to the violent actions of a small number of demonstrators, when there was no need to do so” – a response that the Public Defender found disproportionate and unjustified. These interventions often lacked legal necessity and resulted in broad restrictions on peaceful assembly.

The failure to hold law enforcement officials accountable for the violence committed during the spring protests, as well as the failure to implement effective preventive measures (for example, the lack of identification for special forces), created the conditions for the greater use of disproportionate force and ill-treatment during the winter protests, the report reads. It is noteworthy that to date, no law enforcement officials have been held accountable for abuses committed during the 2024 protests.

Furthermore, legal frameworks contributed to what Ioseliani’s office calls “harmful practices” in the detainment of demonstrators. The report calls a “serious challenge” the flawed Code of Administrative Offenses as enabling arbitrary interference in civil rights. It also says the protection of freedom of assembly was negatively affected by legislative amendments adopted in 2024.

Troubled Elections 

Regarding the 2024 parliamentary elections, which were marred by dozens of violations, according to the OSCE/ODIHR report, the public defender’s office documented more than 200 potential rights violations during the pre-election period, election day, and its aftermath.

The document outlines key challenges and trends identified by [public defender] staff during the parliamentary elections, including violence, police misconduct, alleged threats and pressure, voter bribery, possible fraud, vote secrecy, free expression of the voters’ will, property damage, disruption of campaign events, and issues related to the voting rights of citizens living abroad.

Media Freedom Eroding Amid Violence and Legislation

The Ombudsman’s Office states that media freedom in Georgia deteriorated significantly in 2024, exacerbated by restrictive laws, threats to journalists’ safety, and political hostility. The report documented instances of journalists being specifically targeted by police while covering protests, including cases of equipment seizure and physical assault.

This section also highlights that “journalists’ work is hindered by outdated legislation regulating access to information, which fails to ensure effective protection of this right.” It adds that according to the European Commission’s assessment, negative rhetoric from high-ranking officials and politicians has threatened media freedom, pluralism, and journalists’ safety. At the same time, the Commission identified polarization as one of the biggest challenges for the Georgian media,” which the Ombudsman considers “problematic.”

The report highlights the shortcomings of the regulations regarding the conduct of covert investigations should be noted noting the necessity to initiate a transparent and inclusive process of reforming the relevant legislative norms to regulate the list of crimes for the investigation of which covert investigative actions are not allowed and time limits for conducting covert investigative actions, among other issues.

Ongoing Institutional and Penitentiary Challenges

The report reaffirmed long-standing issues in Georgia’s justice and penitentiary systems. Overcrowding, informal governance practices, inadequate healthcare, and prolonged solitary confinement were flagged as serious human rights concerns. In some cases, solitary confinement was deemed equivalent to cruel and inhuman treatment.

Ioseliani also criticized the lack of progress in reforming parole procedures and the denial of early release opportunities, further arguing that the flaws in legislation and discretionary practices continue to create unequal access to legal benefits.

“It is also noteworthy that the effective functioning of the mechanism for reviewing sentences is particularly important for prisoners serving life sentences. Unfortunately, the Public Defender’s proposal to reduce by several years the period within which a life-sentenced prisoner can apply to the court for conditional early release remains unfulfilled,” stated the report.

Police Abuse and Lack of Accountability

The Public Defender’s Office findings also highlight that law enforcement officers often used excessive force against detainees, violating their physical and psychological integrity. According to the report, detainees reported limited access to legal counsel and family notification, “the lack of mandatory use of body cameras, and the lack of audio and video recordings remain key challenges.” The report highlights the unfortunate trend that “police facilities where detainees are held are still not fully covered by video surveillance systems.

Public Defender’s Findings on Protest Crackdowns

The Public Defender’s Office has identified systemic mistreatment of protesters during both the spring and winter demonstrations, including cases of torture and inhumane or degrading treatment. Riot police reportedly used similar excessive force tactics, leading to dozens of victims. Officers from the Special Tasks Department operated without identification, making accountability nearly impossible. Moreover, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in certain cases, refused to cooperate with the Special Investigation Service in identifying responsible individuals.

The report further states, that despite clear instances where police misconduct could be traced, no officers have been held accountable, and investigations remain ineffective, focusing only on lower-level personnel without addressing broader systemic issues or command responsibility. Additionally, mistreatment cases have been misclassified under lesser charges, failing to reflect the severity of the abuses.

The report also criticizes the authorities for obstructing investigations by failing to obtain crucial evidence, such as state and private surveillance footage, police body camera footage, and internal radio communications. In addition, the report highlights that the perpetrators of physical attacks against activists and politicians during the spring protests remain unpunished, as do members of masked groups who attacked journalists and demonstrators during the winter protests. In addition, the organizers and perpetrators of telephone threats and verbal abuse against protesters during the spring demonstrations have not been identified. The report also highlights extended detentions from 24 to 48 hours without any justification, “which may indicate deliberate unlawful detention.”

Moreover, the report indicates that the protesters and journalists faced interference, including physical violence, arbitrary detentions, and the seizure of personal belongings, with women disproportionately reporting verbal and physical abuse by law enforcement. Meanwhile, administrative proceedings against protesters lack due process safeguards, and Parliament has tightened penalties for protest-related offenses. Despite such cases, the report highlights that the general inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not taken any disciplinary measure against police officers “despite multiple complaints.”

“In two cases where the defendants allege the so-called planting of drugs and their illegal detention, the police did not even attempt to obtain neutral evidence during the search and seizure process,” reads the report.

Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

The report speaks of the human rights violations in the Georgian territories occupied by Russia. The report states that the representatives of the occupation regime directly involved in the murders of Tamaz Ginturi in 2023, Davit Basharuli in 2014, Giga Otkhozoria in 2016, Archil Tatunashvili in 2018 and Irakli Kvaratskhelia in 2019 remain unpunished and puts responsibility on the Russian Federation is responsible. Illegal arrests and frequent cases of illegal detention along the occupation line, as well as movement of citizens along the occupation line, remain a challenge.

The ethnic Georgian population is denied the opportunity to receive education in their native language. The illegal so-called borderization process by the occupying forces continues. Violations of property rights remain a daily challenge for the population living near the occupation line, according to the Ombudsman.

The report notes that the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons requires greater efforts on the part of the State.

Also Read:

• 2025 | Chronicle of Repression
• 01/04/2025 – GD Rubber Stamps FARA, Broadcasting Law Changes, Revives Treason, Removes Gender, Excludes CSOs
  20/12/2024 – ODIHR Final Report Reiterates Multiple Concerns over October 26 Elections, Calls for Concrete Action
• 10/12/2024 – CSOs Joint Statement Condemning Arrests, Torture, and Repression in Georgia
• 02/04/2024 – Public Defender’s 2023 Human Rights Report

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