It is extremely concerning that the Georgian Dream party has already adopted a number of legislative acts aimed at suppressing civil society and independent media and restricting pluralism, - reads a report, which was adopted by the European Parliament by 436 votes to 145.

In this context, the document discusses the Law on Registration of Foreign Agents, amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, the Law on Public Service, the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations, and provisions of the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offences.

“The European Parliament condemns, in particular, legislative measures that increase fines under administrative codes, which increasingly result in the imprisonment of protesters who are unable to pay those fines; reiterates its call to release all political prisoners and other illegally detained persons without delay; warns that the Georgian authorities’ efforts to transform Georgia’s vibrant civil society into a tightly controlled environment of government-aligned organisations constitute a further step towards becoming an authoritarian regime; recalls that most of these laws copy the early developments under Putin’s totalitarian regime in Russia; calls on the Georgian authorities to repeal these legislative acts as a tangible step back towards its EU path;

The European Parliament condemns the degrading and inhuman treatment reportedly inflicted on Elene Khoshtaria during her detention; demands her immediate and unconditional release and the immediate withdrawal of politically motivated charges against her.”

“The European Parliament expresses deep concern at the continued misuse of administrative detention against protesters and activists; notes the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case Mekvabishvili v. Georgia, which found that reliance solely on police testimony without independent evidence undermined fair-trial guarantees and contributed to the imposition of disproportionate sanctions against peaceful demonstrators; calls on the Georgian authorities to reform its administrative-offence procedures to bring them in line with the European Convention on Human Rights;

Condemns credible reports of excessive use of force, torture and ill-treatment against protesters and detainees, including recent findings by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) documenting allegations of police abuse and systematic deficiencies in safeguards and accountability; calls on the Georgian authorities to ensure prompt, independent and effective investigations, prosecute those responsible, and fully implement CPT recommendations;

Condemns the growing trend of Georgian law enforcement agents using verbal and physical abuse against protesters, threats of rape and other gender-based violence and unlawful strip searches as part of a campaign to intimidate dissidents, especially women protesters, and stifle Georgians’ human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;

Condemns adopted legislation that provides for automatic detention and the imposition of subsequent criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to one year, for individuals peacefully protesting on pavements and pedestrian areas; underlines that such measures are repressive instruments intended to suppress dissent for political purposes; deplores the frequent detention of individuals for sharing their opinions on social media;

Expresses its utmost alarm at the allegations that a prohibited chemical agent may have been used in Georgia against individuals in the context of protests; stresses that, if confirmed, the use of any chemical agent against civilians would constitute a grave violation of fundamental human rights, international humanitarian norms and Georgia’s obligations under international law, including the prohibition of chemical weapons; deplores the inadequate investigation conducted by the Georgian authorities into this matter; calls for an immediate, independent and transparent international investigation into these allegations; calls for an examination by the United Nation’s Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and urges the Member States to refer this case for further investigation;

Expresses deep concern over the systematic violation of human rights in Georgia and discrimination against vulnerable groups, including LGBTIQ+ persons; stresses that these violations are incompatible with Georgia’s obligations under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and international human rights standards; calls on the Georgian authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and political participation, and to ensure the safety and protection of, and effective legal remedies for, all human rights defenders and activists; calls strongly for the EU and the Member States to monitor these violations, provide support and protection to at-risk individuals, and link progress made on EU assistance, cooperation and accession to tangible improvements in human rights protection;

Urges the de facto parliament of Georgia to rescind the Law on Family Values and the Protection of Minors, whose provisions starkly violate human rights, including the rights to equality, non-discrimination, education, health, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, as well as privacy, liberty and security; stands with the LGBTIQ+ community of Georgia and views with deep abhorrence the law’s false equivalence between consensual same-sex relationships and incest; recalls that similar laws in Russia under the Putin regime have paved the way for the expansive repression of minorities and, ultimately, an atmosphere of intimidation and discrimination in Russia;

Expresses serious concern about the situation in Georgia’s Chiatura region as a consequence of the mining of manganese for the EU market and calls for the implementation of the CSDDD, as the EU carries a responsibility for the well-being of local residents and for the protection of the environment affected by the damage caused;

Reiterates its opposition to the backsliding on labour laws and labour rights in Georgia, as seen in the 2024 amendments to the Law on Public Service; calls on the Georgian authorities to abide by labour law standards and refrain from restricting labour rights; recalls that the EU acquis includes alignment with International Labour Organization conventions, the European Social Charter and EU legislation on working conditions;

Welcomes the activation of the so-called Moscow Mechanism by the OSCE at the initiative of 24 participating States, which opened the opportunity to send an expert mission to assess Georgia’s implementation of OSCE commitments, in particular with regard to the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms since the spring of 2024; calls on the Georgian authorities to engage substantively with its findings and to implement its recommendations within clear deadlines, including on the release of persons held for political reasons, the repeal of legislation incompatible with international obligations, and accountability for ill-treatment; stresses that, should the authorities fail to take concrete and verifiable steps to implement its recommendations, participating States and relevant international institutions should consider appropriate follow-up measures to ensure accountability, including targeted sanctions and the use of relevant international legal mechanisms; calls on the EU Member States participating in the OSCE to actively support an extension of the mission’s mandate, given the systematic and well-documented violations requiring comprehensive independent assessment;

Welcomes the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly’s 2025 October resolution urging the Council of Europe’s bodies to ‘use all available means’, including Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights and interstate applications to the European Court of Human Rights under Article 33 thereof, to ensure that Georgia upholds its obligations as a Council of Europe member state; calls on the EU Member States and the Council of Europe member states to consider implementing this recommendation;

Strongly condemns the role of Georgian Dream-aligned media outlets, including Imedi TV, PosTV and Rustavi 2 TV, in disseminating systematic disinformation, smear campaigns and hostile propaganda against the EU and its institutions and representatives, in particular the Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia and EU Member State diplomats; notes the recent decision by the United Kingdom to impose sanctions against Imedi TV and PosTV; calls for the EU institutions to review the accreditation of such media outlets within the EU institutions and encourages the EU Member States to follow the United Kingdom’s example and adopt appropriate and proportionate restrictive measures against individuals and entities responsible for orchestrating and financing these disinformation campaigns, including under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime; calls for the inclusion on the EU sanctions list of members of the leadership of the Georgian National Communications Commission and the Georgian Public Broadcaster;

Expresses concern about pressure placed on and legal proceedings brought against the independent media; emphasises that media pluralism and the safety of journalists are essential prerequisites for a democratic society;

Notes with concern recent reforms in Georgia’s education sector that appear to centralise control over academic institutions, weaken academic freedom and university autonomy and hinder Georgia’s integration with the European higher education system; warns about measures aimed at changing the structure and duration of academic programmes and the introduction of the ‘one city, one faculty’ principle, which limits the range of disciplines offered by individual universities; is worried about regulatory pressure placed on institutions such as Ilia State University following their public support for student protests, while support is extended for private institutions associated with figures close to the ruling elite; stresses that independent education experts warn that the cumulative effect of these measures risks reducing academic pluralism and further politicising the higher-education system;

Expresses concern over the organised fraudulent call-centre networks operating from Georgia, in particular those targeting EU citizens; underlines that international journalists’ investigations have suggested that high-ranking Georgian Dream officials offer protection to these scam networks in exchange for financial compensation, which helps them to withstand economic sanctions;

Welcomes the Commission’s decision to suspend visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports, which has applied since 6 March 2026 across all EU Member States under the revised and more flexible visa suspension mechanism that entered into force on 30 December 2025, as a direct consequence of the Georgian Dream regime’s actions in breach of fundamental values; encourages the Member States to carry out a thorough screening, by conducting an interview and requesting supporting documents from these visa applicants, and refuse visas if there are any doubts about the reliability of the information provided by them; regrets that EU-wide visa bans for Georgian officials responsible for serious human rights violations, democratic backsliding and repression have not been possible due to opposition from the Hungarian and Slovak Governments; notes that the eighth visa suspension mechanism report highlights Georgia’s lack of compliance with key benchmarks and previous recommendations; warns that continued inaction by the Georgian authorities could lead to the suspension of visa-free travel for the entire population, for which Georgian Dream would be fully responsible; calls on the Commission to establish a mechanism whereby civil society activists, journalists and students may continue to have visa-free access to the EU, and to increase direct support for people-to-people exchange programmes such as Erasmus +, Horizon Europe, the European Solidarity Corps and Creative Europe.”