Edite Estrela, the co-rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), described the political situation in Georgia as “significant and urgent,” pointing to serious risks.

Speaking during the discussion of the report on Georgia in PACE, the Portuguese rapporteur said that the “democratic collapse” in Georgia raises serious doubts about the government’s willingness to fulfill its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe.

She also referred to increased pressure on the opposition and civil society, stating that democratic backsliding and repression of opposition and civil society actors are incompatible with Council of Europe commitments.

“This is the third report on Georgia that we have presented in the last year and a half. This shows the importance and urgency we attribute to the unprecedented democratic backsliding in Georgia.

The previous two reports were presented under urgent procedure.

Since the adoption of the last resolution, democratic backsliding has continued and evolved, as have the repression of civil society, political opposition, and dissenting voices. None of the Assembly’s urgent recommendations have been implemented.

The ongoing democratic erosion in Georgia and the lack of response to the Assembly’s recommendations raise serious doubts about the government’s willingness to fulfill Georgia’s obligations within the Council of Europe. Unfortunately and with great concern, the ruling majority’s initiative to ban almost all democratic opposition parties in Georgia is still possible and has recently expanded.

The criminal prosecution of nearly all leaders of the democratic opposition continues on politically motivated and fabricated charges. In recent weeks, this prosecution has intensified, and the Prosecutor General has held several hearings in so-called ‘sabotage cases.’ If these two developments continue, they will establish a one-party system in Georgia, which is unacceptable and incompatible with Council of Europe membership,” Estrela said.

She also noted that the report includes a definition of “political prisoner,” linked to the current political environment in the country, and said that conditions for genuinely democratic elections no longer exist in Georgia.