Georgia is facing the most serious erosion of human rights and civic space as the ruling party resorts to authoritarian practices to preserve its grip on power amid growing public discontent.
Since the start of the country’s continuous protest movement more than two years ago, thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained and fined, hundreds subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, and more than 150 imprisoned following unfair and politically motivated proceedings. Yet for more than 500 days, protesters across Georgia have continued to return to the streets, refusing to abandon their demands for rights, dignity and a better future.
This report examines the coordinated system driving this crackdown: disinformation that turns critics into enemies; restrictive laws that criminalize dissent and shrink civic space; policing that makes protest physically dangerous; and courts that perpetuate the cycle of injustice while giving repression the veneer of legality.
The report calls on Georgia’s authorities to reverse course immediately and on the international community to recognize and respond to this deliberate system of repression with the urgency it demands.
Read “Anatomy of Repression – Georgia: 500 Days of Protest, Crackdown and Resilience.”