Joint Statement on the Human Rights Situation in Georgia

As delivered by the Delegation of the Netherlands at the 1503rd Meeting of the Permanent Council, Vienna, 19 December 2024

Thank you, Chair.

I am making the following statement on behalf of Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and my own country, the Netherlands.

Our countries have been committed to partnership with Georgia and the Georgian
people for more than three decades. Between us we have worked with successive
Georgian governments to support Georgia’s democratic institutions, develop Georgia’s economy and improve education for Georgian children. While our ongoing
commitment to Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unbroken, we
strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian
citizens exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

We are dismayed that Georgian Dream continues to use repressive tactics, including
arbitrary detention and physical violence, to silence its critics. In line with our shared
OSCE commitments to strengthen civil society and respect the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom from arbitrary arrest, we call on Georgia to stop the use of repressive, excessively violent tactics by law enforcement agencies. We also urge Georgia to immediately release protestors, members of the media, opposition figures, and others detained for peacefully exercising their rights and supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Individuals responsible for the unlawful use of force must also be held accountable.

As fellow OSCE participating States, we will explore all mechanisms in the OSCE
context going forward. We encourage Georgia to return to the path of EU integration
that the vast majority of Georgians desire.

Our countries stand in solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratic and
Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We continue our unwavering support for Georgia’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Thank you, Chair