Georgian Public Defender presents annual report on protection of human rights, freedoms in country in 2023

Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani on Tuesday presented an annual report to the Parliament on the situation of protection of human rights and freedoms in the country in 2023, the Public Defender’s Office said.

In the 386-page report covering around 30 areas of human rights protection, Ioseliani highlighted the human rights situation of the conflict-affected population, freedom of expression, information, and assembly and human rights defenders’ rights, as well as health, labour, social security issues, rights of disabled people, children, elderly, gender equality and other topics.

The Public Defender noted the existence of a safe environment for media freedom and journalists’ activities still was a challenge in the country, adding the special rules implemented in the legislative body for media organisations and journalists were “problematic, which limited the possibility for some media outlets to cover the events”.

A number of challenges related to freedom of assembly during the reported period remained unchanged and in some cases, the use of freedom of assembly became “even more complicated”, he told lawmakers.

Ioseliani also said that the murder of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi by Russian occupying forces near a village adjacent to central Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region last year was an “echo of the facts” that the representatives of the occupation regime directly involved in the murder of four Georgian citizens in the occupied regions - Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria, David Basharuli, and Irakli Kvaratskhelia, had not been punished yet.

He stressed the occupation regime bore the responsibility for the murders, illegal arrests, prohibition of teaching the Georgian language, illegal ‘borderisation’ and kidnappings.

The official also pointed out it was “necessary” to improve the mechanism of early releasing prisoners on parole and replacing an unserved term of a sentence with a lighter punishment.

Ioseliani noted the number of cameras in both the inner and outer perimeters of police facilities was decreasing year by year and also emphasised that the lack of obligation to use body cameras and make audio and video recordings remained a challenge for Interior Ministry’s representatives.

While speaking on labour rights, Ioseliani said it was necessary to provide paid leave to employees in the private sector for pregnancy, childbirth and child care.