The international human rights organization Amnesty International has published its “State of the World’s Human Rights” report. The section on Georgia states that the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in the country have been severely restricted.
According to the authors, this has been facilitated by repressive legislation, unfair trials, and police impunity for the unlawful use of force—factors that have exacerbated ongoing government crackdowns.
“Peaceful protesters, journalists, opposition figures, and activists were arbitrarily detained, tortured, and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment, and subsequently tried in unfair proceedings. Human rights defenders, NGOs, and independent media faced constant harassment, including asset freezes and regulatory pressure. Female protesters were subjected to gender-based violence,” the Amnesty experts write.
Referring to the protests that erupted in 2024 following the Georgian government’s decision to freeze the issue of EU membership until 2028, the NGO notes that hundreds of people continued to participate in daily actions despite intimidation, heavy fines, arbitrary detentions, ill-treatment, and unfair trials.
“In the vast majority of cases, peaceful protests regularly met with the unlawful use of force, which heightened tensions and led to isolated incidents of violence by protesters, mostly in response to police aggression. In an attempt to suppress ongoing protests in late 2024, legislative amendments were introduced providing for heavy fines for peaceful forms of protest, such as wearing masks or blocking roads.
On October 17, a new package of laws was adopted, further restricting the right to peaceful assembly. Law enforcement agencies were granted broad powers to detain individuals for peaceful forms of protest, including wearing masks, pitching tents, or blocking roads.
Such actions were punishable by imprisonment for up to 15 days (or up to 20 days for organizers), while repeat offenses carried a sentence of up to two years,” the Amnesty International report reads.
Human rights defenders write that Georgian authorities began systematically persecuting activists, journalists, and opposition supporters, conducting searches and confiscating protest materials. More than 100 arrests were made in the week following the adoption of the repressive laws.
In the section titled “Torture and Other Ill-Treatment,” the NGO experts write that masked Georgian police officers “regularly beat detainees during arrests and in places of detention.”
“Unidentified men in civilian clothes, some of whom were armed and apparently acting with government support, intimidated and beat protesters and journalists with police complicity, including near their homes and workplaces.
Many detainees were denied access to lawyers, relatives, or emergency medical care while in custody. Saba Skhvitaridze, arrested on December 5 of the previous year, was sentenced on September 3 to two years in prison for allegedly causing bodily harm to a police officer. He stated that he was interrogated without a lawyer and repeatedly tortured by masked officers. Despite medical confirmation of injuries sustained in custody, no effective investigation had been conducted by the end of the year,” Amnesty International concludes.
The human rights organization also writes about the unlawful use of force, noting that throughout 2024, police continued to unlawfully use force to disperse predominantly peaceful demonstrators, including tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons.
“Hundreds of demonstrators reported sustaining serious injuries, including fractures and concussions, and more than 100 journalists were injured. Police violence intensified sharply following the post-election protests on October 4, during which some participants attempted to enter the presidential complex. In response, special forces conducted armed raids, using excessive force and arresting more than 60 protesters in their homes.
Despite numerous reports of violence and ill-treatment, by the end of the year, not a single police officer or pro-government rioter had been held accountable,” the human rights defenders write in the report.
Amnesty International also addresses a BBC investigation into the possible use of the banned chemical agent “Kamit” against demonstrators in November-December 2024 during the dispersal of protest actions.
“In December, authorities launched an investigation after the BBC claimed that water cannons with banned toxic chemicals were used against protesters. Instead of addressing these claims, the investigation was used to intimidate experts and witnesses who provided the BBC with relevant evidence,” the non-governmental organization emphasized.
In the section “Arbitrary Detentions and Unfair Trials,” the Amnesty International report discusses the detention of protesters, journalists, and opposition figures, which it notes has become “commonplace.”
“Some were detained at home, at work, or on the street solely for participating in protests. Courts systematically denied bail without clear grounds or materials justifying detention. Dozens of people, particularly participants in anti-government protests, were tried in unfair proceedings marked by procedural violations and prosecutorial bias,” the report reads.
Amnesty International also mentions Mzia Amaglobeli, the founder of Batumelebi/Netgazeti, who was reportedly detained twice on January 11, 2025, during a protest in Batumi.
“The first time was simply for applying a protest sticker. After her release, she was arrested again on criminal charges for allegedly slapping the Batumi police chief. She was denied bail at an urgent hearing regarding pretrial measures, which was followed by an unfair trial.
On August 5, she was sentenced to two years in prison. In detention, her health deteriorated sharply,” Amnesty International noted.
The NGO indicates that between June and November, eight opposition politicians were arbitrarily detained and remanded in custody after refusing to cooperate with a parliamentary commission whose legitimacy and impartiality were doubted by many. By the end of the year, they remained in custody either awaiting trial or already serving sentences.
In the “Freedom of Association” section, Amnesty International writes that civil society groups, independent media, opposition parties, and politicians fell under the scope of repressive legislation and were subjected to criminal and administrative prosecution on political grounds.
“Under the law ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’ adopted in 2024, independent civil society groups were subjected to intrusive inspections and became targets of criminal investigations. Such groups, which received foreign funding and engaged in vaguely defined ‘political activity,’ were threatened with punishment.
In August, authorities froze the bank accounts of seven NGOs, accusing them of sabotage for providing protesters with medicine, protective equipment, legal aid, and other support in 2024. Several NGO leaders were summoned for interrogation multiple times.
In October, ‘Georgian Dream’ (the ruling party) filed a constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban three opposition parties—the ‘United National Movement,’ the ‘Coalition for Change,’ and ‘Lelo – Strong Georgia’—accusing them of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, inciting protests, and undermining territorial integrity,” Amnesty International writes.
Regarding gender-based violence in Georgia, the NGO indicates that female protesters increasingly faced gender-based violence, including sexist insults, threats of sexual violence, and humiliating full strip searches.
“Despite the government’s promise in June to end strip searches, reports of these violations continued to emerge. Misogynistic and sexist remarks by high-ranking officials continued to provoke violence against female protesters,” the human rights organization’s report reads.
Amnesty International writes that the leader of ‘Droa!’ (Time has come!), Elene Khoshtaria, was detained for participating in a peaceful protest near the parliament on March 28.
“She reported that during her detention, force was used against her, she was stripped and forced to lie naked on the floor, and she was denied necessary medication. Activist Kristina Botkoveli was forced to strip naked during an arbitrary police raid on her home on February 1, which triggered a panic attack and required emergency medical assistance,” the human rights defenders write.
In the “Right to a Healthy Environment” section, Amnesty International reports that Georgian activists expressed serious concern over the environmental impact of the planned construction of a tourist facility at the Balda Canyon natural monument and the ‘Krtsanisi Eagle Hills’ residential complex in Tbilisi.
“The planning of both projects lacked transparency and took place without broad public discussion,” the Amnesty International human rights defenders write.