I take the human rights situation in Georgia very seriously indeed, Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, said at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

In particular, he was responding to a question from a member of parliament: “The latest OSCE Moscow Mechanism report on Georgia calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, as well as journalists and all other participants in public debate. So my question is the following: are you going to take any additional steps to support their release? And secondly, have you tried to meet any of them during your visit to Georgia?”

O’Flaherty spoke about his visit to Georgia and said that he would continue to engage on a wide range of issues, including the release of those who should not be in prison.

“I take the human rights situation in Georgia very seriously indeed. It is one of the few countries that I have visited twice since I took up this position. Some members of the Assembly may already know that I have recently returned [from Georgia]. I was there last week. Last week I discussed the issue of police brutality that took place during the 2024 protests, the increased pressure on civil society in late 2024 and early 2025, and human rights issues in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. I issued a statement yesterday in which I spoke about these issues. I will issue a more detailed statement in the coming weeks. You asked whether I met people - yes, of course. I had many meetings with civil society and journalists during my visit, and I meet them outside of my visit, as well as politicians, specifically here in Strasbourg. I will continue to be involved in the broad spectrum of issue, including the release of those who should not be in prison," O'Flaherty said.