CSOs Follow-up Report to OSCE Vienna Mechanism on Rights Violations
Three Georgian civil society organizations submitted a report to the OSCE Vienna Mechanism highlighting the ineffective investigation of alleged torture and ill-treatment of protesters in Georgia since November 2024 and calling to invoke the Moscow Mechanism in response to what they describe as “grave violations of fundamental human rights and democratic backsliding.” The report asserts that such ineffective investigation, including excessive force against peaceful protesters, torture, and targeted harassment of journalists and civic activists “indicates an organized crackdown on civil liberties.”
The report was prepared by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), and Rights Georgia. This follows GYLA’s previous alternative report submitted on January 21, 2025, following 38 OSCE participating states’ decision to invoke the Vienna Mechanism in response to human rights concerns in Georgia.
Calling on the OSCE member states to maintain scrutiny of Georgia’s deteriorating human rights situation the new report details what it describes as “multiple violent and repressive practices” employed by Georgian Dream authorities to suppress peaceful protests and political dissent. These practices, the report says, include systemic torture, abuse of legislative power, and politically motivated prosecutions. The authors cite the violent dispersal of a peaceful protest on February 2, noting that ill-treatment of participants persists.
According to the report, the “degrading practice of stripping detainees naked and searching” has become routine, in violation of CPT standards. The use of biometric surveillance tools against protesters, in ways allegedly incompatible with ECtHR standards, along with continued arbitrary detentions and administrative fines, are highlighted as further abuses.
It also criticizes recent amendments to laws on assembly, administrative offenses, and the criminal code, which the Venice Commission and ODIHR have deemed incompatible with international human rights norms. Additionally, it warns of ongoing efforts to shrink civic and media space, pointing to adoption of the Foreign Agents Registration Act on April 1, which ODIHR has urged the GD authorities to reconsider.
Key Highlights
The report highlights institutional challenges within Georgia’s Special Investigation Service (SIS), tasked with probing crimes by law enforcement. It cites that it was initially established as the State Inspector’s Service and was headed by Londa Toloraia. The report notes that the Service came under political pressure in 2021 when GD launched a “political attack,” leading to a rushed reform that split the agency’s functions, renamed it, and terminated Toloraia’s term early. The report cites ODIHR and Venice Commission’s criticism of the opaque reform process by which the SIS was established.
The report mentions that the investigation by the SIS into protest-related abuses is superficial and cites that the Public Defender reported 242 documented cases of alleged torture and ill-treatment of detainees during protests, but victim status has been granted to only 85 individuals.
Specific Investigative Failures Documented in the Report
The document outlines that most allegations of ill-treatment since November 28, 2024, were consolidated under a single criminal case, which raised concerns about potentially masking the scale and complexity of individual incidents. It points also to inadequate criminal qualification, whereas the investigations were launched under lesser charges, such as abuse of power and obstruction of journalistic activity, despite victims’ testimonies that clearly indicate “more severe crimes such as torture, threats of torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment.”
The report emphasizes possible destruction or damage to evidence. Despite requests from the Special Investigation Service, key evidence from the state agencies, including video footage and radio communications, was either delayed, incomplete or deemed unavailable due to “technical issues.” Crucial evidence was also allegedly destroyed when sanitation services washed down protest sites.
The lack of action against publicly identified perpetrators and high-ranking officials is identified as another problem. Despite clear video evidence, no action has been taken against high-ranking officials implicated in abuse, including the February 2 incident involving the head of the Special Tasks Department, Zviad Kharazishvili [a. k. a. Khareba].
The case of the director of Batumelebi/Netgazeti Mzia Amaghlobeli, detained under “politically motivated” charges, raises further concerns for the report authors. Though a medical report confirmed her injuries, she has not been granted victim status, and a court rejected GYLA’s complaint on her behalf.
The report cites the annual report of the Public Defender’s Office, which argues that the SIS investigation is “ineffective and fragmented” and fails to assess possible orders from high-ranking officials. It doesn’t include allegations of torture or inhumane treatment and instead uses lesser charges that “fail to reflect the severity and scale of the mistreatment.”
Citing ineffective investigations and a prevailing culture of impunity under the GD government, they urge OSCE participating states to take immediate action by activating the Human Dimension Reporting Mechanism, also known as the Moscow Mechanism.
Also Read:
- 02/04/2025 – World Organisation Against Torture: GD Coordinated State Policy of Repression Against Protesters
- 23/12/2024 – OSCE Members Invoke Vienna Mechanism on Situation in Georgia
- 19/12/2024 – Opposition Calls on OSCE/ODIHR to Activate “Moscow Mechanism”
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