Blog

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 April 2025.

UK and other OSCE participating States express concern over the deteriorating human rights situation and call on Georgia to open an inclusive dialogue with political parties, civil society and the OSCE institutions.

Thank you, Madam Chair,

I am delivering this statement on behalf of  Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and my own country, Germany.

As OSCE participating States, we have committed to upholding and defending fundamental human rights, democracy, and the rule of law—not only within our own borders, but across our shared OSCE region. This commitment carries a responsibility: to hold each other accountable when we witness signs of democratic backsliding.

It is in this spirit that we express again our deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia. Since our last discussion in February, we have regretfully witnessed Georgian authorities taking further steps away from their democratic and human rights commitments.

Madam Chair,

Our main concerns are threefold: the legislative restriction of civic space, the targeting of independent media, and the continued lack of accountability for excessive use of force by police, the use of indiscriminate violence by unidentified groups against peaceful protesters as well as unnecessarily long pre-trial detention periods and the reported ill-treatment of those in pre-trial detention.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires all individuals and organisations receiving foreign funding to register as so-called “Foreign Agents,” with financial sanctions and criminal penalties imposed on those who refuse. We share ODIHR’s concern that “this law, along with other recent legislative initiatives, could further curtail the activities of civil society organizations and human rights defenders by removing the safeguards needed for them to carry out their work”. This law lacks the legal safeguards that prevent civil society, media and private individuals from being branded as instruments of foreign influence based solely on funding sources, which strongly suggests that this law is not about transparency, but about suppressing dissent and tightening the grip on civil society. This is of particular concern in view of the upcoming local elections.

We are also closely monitoring recent amendments to Georgia’s electoral legislation. It is essential that any changes to the electoral framework enhance transparency and public trust, and that reforms are developed through inclusive dialogue and in line with OSCE commitments. Relatedly, we are concerned about legislative amendments undermining freedom of peaceful assembly, including the amendments to the Criminal and Administrative Offences Codes and the Law on Assemblies and Manifestations. The amendments undermine the principle of equal suffrage and restrict freedom of assembly, as stated in relevant ODIHR’s and Venice Commission latest opinions. We urge the Georgian authorities to implement their recommendations.

Madam Chair,

We are alarmed by the escalating threats and intimidation faced by journalists in Georgia. The Public Defender’s 2024 Human Rights Report highlights a significant decline in media freedom, exacerbated by restrictive laws—such as the recent amendments to the Law on Broadcasting—and growing hostility toward journalists.

Notably, there have been incidents where journalists were being targeted by police while covering protests, including physical assaults and equipment seizures. Furthermore, reports of targeting journalists in exile and negative rhetoric from high-ranking officials and politicians have further eroded media freedom and increased risks for journalists.

We call for the immediate cessation of these practices and the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained journalists, including Mzia Amaghlobeli, who remains in detention on charges of up to 7 years in prison.

Finally, we remain deeply troubled by the persistent lack of accountability for police violence. We have seen no evidence of credible efforts by the Georgian authorities to investigate reports of disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters, arbitrary detentions, excessive over-reliance on long pre-trial detention periods, and mistreatment of detainees.

We call on the Georgian authorities to take immediate action to protect the rights of those exercising their fundamental freedoms and to conduct a thorough investigation of the use of police force during peaceful protests since 28 November 2024 in order to hold those responsible for human rights violations to account. Failure to do so further undermines public trust in Georgia’s institutions.

Madam Chair,

Despite repeated statements by Georgia reaffirming their commitment to dialogue and the OSCE principles and commitments, we have yet to see any concrete and genuine steps toward meaningful engagement. Instead, recent actions by the Georgian authorities have moved Georgia further away from democracy. We call on the Georgian authorities to open an inclusive dialogue with all political parties and civil society organisations in order to find peaceful and democratic solutions to the ongoing crisis.

We welcome recent statements by ODIHR and RFoM and strongly urge Georgia to continue to constructively engage with OSCE institutions and make use of their expertise. As fellow OSCE participating States, we will explore all available tools and mechanisms within the OSCE context going forward. In this spirit, we call on Georgian authorities to implement recommendations by ODIHR with regard to the upcoming elections.

Our unwavering commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unchanged. We stand steadfast in our support for the Georgian people and their pursuit of a democratic, stable and European future, and we remain ready to work with Georgia to ensure it upholds its international obligations and ensures that human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully respected.​

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 11 April 2025.

Ambassador Neil Holland recalls the vital contribution of media freedom to security in the OSCE region, and calls on Russia, Belarus and others to live up to their OSCE commitments.

Thank you Mr Chair. And welcome back to the Permanent Council in your new capacity, dear Jan.

In this fiftieth anniversary year, I want to start with the Helsinki Final Act. In 1975 our predecessors accepted citizens’ right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas.  Free, independent and pluralistic media should be at the heart of our societies and our shared security. Sadly we are still far from realising our predecessors’ ambition when it comes to media freedom and other fundamental freedoms in our region.

We believe early warning sits at the core of your mandate. We welcome your public statements on recent cases of concern and, in particular, take this opportunity to express our concern about the case of Mzia Amaglobeli in Georgia and the so called “foreign agents” law in Republika Srpska.

Since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many journalists and media workers have been killed. And over 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been detained or taken hostage by Russian forces. Furthermore, state disinformation, information manipulation and censorship in Russia and Belarus have reached unprecedented levels. Systemic repression has led to the closure of almost all independent media organizations and a media space largely subject to the State apparatus.

We call on both Russia and Belarus to release all political prisoners (including media actors) immediately and unconditionally, including those held by Russia in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

In order to realise the ambition of 1975, every participating State has work to do.  I am pleased that the Security Committee’s May 2025 meeting will focus on security implications of information manipulation and interference.

And domestically, the UK looks forward to working with you on the safety of journalists, combatting foreign information manipulation and interference and global media freedom challenges.

We launched our National Committee for the Safety of Journalists in 2020 and the UK’s National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists was first launched in 2021. The Action Plan was refreshed in 2023 following delivery of many of its original commitments. Achievements under the 2023 Action Plan include updated Online Harassment Guidance for Journalists; the launch of a journalist safety tracker by the National Union of Journalists; and a Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Taskforce and workplan.

The SLAPPs Taskforce has initiated new guidance on SLAPPs for journalists. The Solicitors Regulation Authority who are members of the Taskforce, launched a thematic review on SLAPPs in April 2024 and published an updated warning notice on SLAPPs in 2024, to help solicitors and law firms understand their obligations and how to comply.

In 2025 the UK’s National Committee for Safety of Journalists will focus on three priority areas: enhancing the criminal justice response to crimes against journalists; supporting journalists and their employers to tackle online and offline harassment; and – with a non-legislative focus – tackling the risks posed by SLAPPs and other abusive legal threats against journalists.

The National Committee – co-chaired by the Minister for Sports, Media, Civil Society and Youth and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls –  will also develop the next iteration of the UK National Action Plan later this year.

The UK looks forward to continuing to discuss developments of concern across the wider OSCE region with you as well as our domestic policy framework.   And the UK remains a strong supporter of your office, your mandate and your team.  Thank you.