Democratic backsliding and pressure on the opposition and civil society continues in Georgia, — the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) stated.

The PACE Monitoring Committee expresses “serious concern over the democratic collapse and the deep political and social crisis in Georgia,” and warns that “democratic backsliding, as well as pressure against civil society, political opposition, and individuals with dissenting views, continues unabated.”

In a draft resolution prepared on the basis of the report by co-rapporteurs Edite Estrela and Sabina Ćudić, the committee expresses regret that “none of the Assembly’s urgent recommendations have been taken into account,” and notes that the ongoing erosion of democracy “raises serious doubts about the authorities’ willingness to fulfill Georgia’s obligations as a member of the Council of Europe and the commitments undertaken upon joining the organization.”

The committee states that “membership in the Council of Europe is a privilege that comes with rights and obligations,” and that the organization’s principles and standards “cannot be called into question or made subject to negotiation.”

It also describes as “unacceptable” an initiative that envisages “the banning of virtually all democratic opposition parties in Georgia and the criminal prosecution of their leaders on politically motivated and fabricated charges.”

According to the Monitoring Committee, “the continuation of such actions would in practice lead to the establishment of a one-party dictatorship in Georgia.”