Reacting to the summoning of former Public Defender (ombudsman) Ucha Nanuashvili by Georgia’s State Security Service over his communication with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director, said:
“The summoning of prominent human rights defender Ucha Nanuashvili over his reported cooperation with an OSCE expert is yet another example of the Georgian authorities engaging in a witch-hunt, targeting those who expose human rights violations. Instead of addressing the violations themselves, the authorities send a chilling message by targeting those who report them. This kind of harassment only serves to confirm the very conclusions of the OSCE report.”
“Authorities in Georgia must end the intimidation of all human rights defenders and uphold their right to engage freely with international human rights mechanisms without fear of reprisals.”
Authorities in Georgia must end the intimidation of all human rights defenders and uphold their right to engage freely with international human rights mechanisms without fear of reprisals
Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director
Background
On 17 March, Ucha Nanuashvili was summoned by Georgia’s State Security Service for questioning regarding his communication with an expert involved in the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, a procedure that allows participating states to commission independent experts to investigate and report on serious human rights concerns in another member state without that state’s consent.
The summons followed the publication on 12 March of a report by the OSCE rapporteur highlighting “marked democratic backsliding” in Georgia since spring 2024, including concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, alleged ill-treatment of protesters and the unlawful detention of individuals on political grounds.
The report recommended the immediate release of all those detained or imprisoned on politically motivated grounds and the repeal of legislation deemed incompatible with Georgia’s international human rights obligations. Georgian authorities, including senior government officials, have rejected the findings, dismissing them as biased.
The summoning of Ucha Nanuashvili is the latest in a worrying pattern whereby researchers and human rights defenders who provide information or comments on the human rights situation in Georgia are subjected to questioning under criminal proceedings. It also comes amid stepped up pressure on civil society actors and organizations operating in an increasingly restrictive environment, which has most recently seen the cessation of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association’s legal aid programme and laws arbitrarily restricting foreign funding for civic activity.
