Rights defenders note decline in democracy level in Georgia

The human rights organization "Freedom House" has stressed that politicization of the judiciary is a serious problem in Georgia: the authorities pass legislative acts by disregarding citizens' opinions.

Georgia remains in the category of countries with "transitional governments/hybrid regimes," says the annual report of the "Freedom House" entitled "Nations in Transit", published on April 6. According to the report, under the scale from 1.00 (consolidated authoritarian regime) to 7.00 (consolidated democracy), Georgia has the rating of 3.25 points, which is by 0.04 points worse that in 2019.

First of all, the authors of the report note the deterioration of the situation in the judiciary and legislature, the document says. Thus, Georgia is named among the countries whose governments equip courts with loyal judges and pass the laws abolishing the independence of justice.

Georgia is also mentioned in connection with the boycott of parliament by oppositional forces, which led to the absence of justice and legitimacy in the country's legislature.

Besides, Georgia has discrimination problems in various spheres. "Women and people with disabilities are reportedly suffering from discrimination in employment, among other problems. LGBT+ people are also facing social discrimination and sometimes become the targets of serious violence," the report authors have noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 10, 2020 at 07:29 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.