2025 is a year of restricted freedom - autocratic lawmaking, disproportionate restrictions on freedom have put special pressure on freedom of expression, assembly and association, - Nona Kurdovanidze, head of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, said when presenting the report on the state of human rights in Georgia in 2025.

According to Kurdovanidze, the process of strengthening authoritarian rule that began in 2024 continued in 2025.

According to her, the particular target of repression was precisely those instrumental rights that are the cornerstone of a democratic society and guarantors of the enjoyment of other rights: freedom of expression, assembly and association.

“Every year, December 10 is Human Rights Day, which commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948.

On December 10 of each year, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association assessed the state of human rights during the year in a feedback format, however, the events that developed in Georgia in 2025 require a detailed description of the trends, patterns of behavior and aspirations that are related to the significant restriction of the essence of human rights.

As the analysis of the events that developed during the year shows, 2025 is a year of limited freedom, which means that autocratic lawmaking and disproportionate restrictions on freedoms have put special pressure on the freedom of expression, assembly and association - the rights that make democracy functional.

According to the report, during this year, the process of strengthening authoritarian rule that began in 2024: the deliberate undermining of human rights and democracy through various methods, including the deterioration of the legislative framework, physical violence, arbitrary arrests and fines, politically motivated trials, and disinformation campaigns. The repressions specifically targeted the very instrumental rights that are the cornerstone of a democratic society and guarantors of the enjoyment of other rights: freedom of expression, assembly, and association.

The report shows that one of the main targets of the repressions was freedom of expression. The legislative framework regulating freedom of expression has significantly deteriorated, including by prohibiting insults to public servants and political officials, weakening guarantees for the protection of public debate in relation to defamation, and blanket restrictions on the receipt of foreign funding for broadcasters, banning, restricting the activities of the media in the courts.

The situation of freedom of assembly also continued to deteriorate. The Georgian Dream made a number of amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, the Criminal Code, and the Law on Assemblies that were incompatible with human rights, introduced new offenses, and significantly increased sanctions. Throughout the year, groundless administrative detentions, high fines, and physical violence were actively used against protest participants.

The report emphasizes that the situation with respect to freedom of association significantly deteriorated in 2025. In addition to adopting new repressive laws, the Georgian Dream also harassed civil society through politically motivated investigations, seizure of accounts, and interrogations.

One of the most significant problems was politically motivated criminal justice. The observation of the criminal cases against 69 individuals in the first instance court from spring 2024 to September 2025 showed that the use of criminal prosecution mechanisms against activists is aimed not only at preventing specific alleged crimes, but also at suppressing the right to freedom of assembly and expression.

The ill-treatment of demonstrators continued in 2025. Those responsible for the systemic torture in November-December 2024 remain unpunished.

The report also analyzes the deterioration of the situation in terms of the realization of the right to equality and the situation of vulnerable groups. Throughout 2025, anti-gender rhetoric, laws, and actions continued to undermine the progress made over the years in terms of gender equality, and to incite sexism and homophobia/transphobia.

It is noteworthy that, against the backdrop of ongoing political repression, economic, social and cultural rights remain neglected. In 2025, the deplorable consequences of the difficult situation in terms of the right to decent housing and the right to live in a safe environment were again evident. The report also reviews several cases of 2025, when the deaths of people were allegedly related to the state’s neglect of positive obligations arising from the right to life/the absence of preventive measures.

It is noteworthy that the organization’s employees were able to prepare the report in a reality when GYLA was operating under the hostile attitude of the government, and propagandistic media outlets and officials, along with restrictive legislation, were constantly attacking the activities of the human rights organization,” Kurdovanidze said.