UN High Commissioner urges Georgian Gov’t to uphold freedoms amid protests against delayed EU accession

Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Monday urged Georgian authorities to safeguard freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly following four consecutive nights of protests in Tbilisi sparked by the Government's decision last week to delay the country’s European Union accession talks until 2028.

The use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against protesters and media workers is extremely worrying”, Türk said in an official statement, adding “all Georgians from across the political spectrum should be able to express their views about the future of their country freely and peacefully”.

He highlighted international human rights standards that required an enabling environment for peaceful assembly and  called for security forces to “adhere to principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination when using force, which should remain a rare exception”. 

The High Commissioner also urged protesters to remain peaceful, as reports indicated some had thrown projectiles at police and damaged the Parliament building in capital Tbilisi. 

The Georgian authorities have reported that 113 police officers had been injured during the unrest, with dozens of protesters and reporters also reported as receiving injuries.