The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on June 24 on”the functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia,” warning that the conditions for holding “genuinely democratic elections” currently do not exist in Georgia, while citing “serious concerns” over Georgia’s “democratic breakdown” and calling on authorities to repeal controversial laws.
The resolution, based on a report by co-rapporteurs Edite Estrela (Portugal, SOC) and Sabina Ćudić (Bosnia and Herzegovina, ALDE), was adopted following a debate, with 83 voting in favor, 5 against, and 4 abstaining. Ten different amendments were considered, but the Assembly ended up adopting only one of them, with a subamendment, which raised the issue of the deported Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadigov.
The Georgian Dream parliamentary delegation to PACE has suspended its participation after the 2025 winter session, during which PACE conditionally ratified the credentials of the delegation on the understanding that new parliamentary elections would be set and “all political prisoners” released.
The Resolution
The resolution regrets that the democratic backsliding in Georgia has continued “unabated,” alongside what it describes as “a crackdown on civil society, political opposition and dissent.” It also says that none of the Assembly’s previous “urgent recommendations” have been addressed by the Georgian authorities.
“The continuing breakdown of democracy in Georgia and the lack of any response to the recommendations of the Assembly to address this raise serious doubts about the authorities’ willingness to abide by Georgia’s membership obligations and accession commitments to the Council of Europe,” the resolution states.
While stressing its commitment to “an open and results-oriented dialogue” with the Georgian authorities, the Assembly emphasizes that “membership of the Council of Europe is a privilege that comes with rights and obligations,” adding that “the principles and standards of the Organization, as well as the obligations stemming from its membership and the imperative need to honour these obligations fully cannot be put into question or negotiated.”
The resolution describes as “unacceptable” the prosecution of opposition politicians on what it calls “politically motivated” and “trumped-up charges,” and reiterates that banning opposition parties in Georgia would “effectively establish a one-party dictatorship in Georgia, which violates essential democratic principles and is incompatible with Council of Europe membership.” The document urges the authorities to withdraw their lawsuit in the Constitutional Court aimed at banning opposition parties and to end related prosecutions.
Referring to what it calls a “relentless crackdown” on the democratic opposition, civil society, and independent media, as well as “extreme social and political polarization,” the document argues that “the conditions for holding genuinely democratic elections currently do not exist in Georgia.”
It reiterates its call on the authorities to “initiate as a priority an open and inclusive political process involving all political forces and civil stakeholders, to re-establish a genuinely free and democratic political environment in the country, in line with the clear expectations and ambitions of Georgian society.”
The text further states that “politically motivated prosecutions with no other objective than to silence dissenting voices raise the spectre of the existence of political prisoners” and is “incompatible with a democratic society and Georgia’s membership obligations.” It mentions two opposition jailed figures, Ahali party co-founder Nika Melia and Droa party leader Elene Khoshtaria, saying they are prosecuted on “clearly trumped-up charges.”
PACE also calls on the authorities to “fully repeal” recently adopted “repressive legislation,” including “controversial amendments to the Criminal Code, the Law on Political Union of Citizens, as well as the Code of Administrative Offenses.” It reiterates its recommendation that the Code on Administrative Offenses be replaced by “an entirely new law” to be developed “in close consultation with the Council of Europe to ensure its compliance with European norms and standards, including the ECHR.”
The document also calls on the authorities to repeal the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence (Foreign Agents Law), the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), as well as amendments to the Law on Grants, “fully and unconditionally.”
Saying that “a dynamic and pluralistic civil society is essential for a well-functioning democracy,” the text deplores “increasingly shrinking space” for civil society organizations in Georgia. It condemns the “continued assault” on CSOs, their leadership and independent media, “including through the abuse of controversial legislation.”
It also raises concerns over Georgia’s recent controversial education reform, saying to “dispel understandable corruption concerns,” the authorities should “establish a transparent and independent mechanism to govern the privatization of any university assets that now may have become surplus as a result of the new ‘One City – One Faculty’ reform.”
It further “deplores” that despite its repeated calls, “no credible investigations have been conducted into police brutality and other human rights abuses committed during demonstrations, nor into the many reports of torture and ill-treatment of demonstrators during their arrest and detention.” It also calls for “a credible, independent and effective investigation” into allegations that prohibited chemical agents were used by police during the dispersal of protests in late 2024.
The document says the Assembly “fully shares” the findings and conclusions of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism report and urges the Georgian authorities to “fully implement” the recommendations.
It further condemns “the recent act of transnational repression” against Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, recently arrested in Baku following his deportation from Tbilisi, “who was deported from Georgia through expedited proceedings on 5 April 2026 despite an interim measure issued by the European Court of Human Rights prohibiting his removal to Azerbaijan.”
“The Assembly reiterates its call to the relevant bodies of the Council of Europe to use all available means, including those under Article 52 of the ECHR, and its invitation to all Council of Europe member States to consider the use of interstate applications to the ECtHR under Article 33 of the Convention, to ensure that Georgia fully honour all the standards and obligations stemming from Council of Europe membership,” the document concludes, adding that it “regrets that to date, no use has been made of these mechanisms offered by the ECHR.”
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