Georgian ruling party leader rejects Swedish concerns over human rights

Georgia’s parliamentary majority leader has dismissed recent concerns raised by Sweden over the country’s human rights situation, saying that rights were “better protected in Georgia than in many of the countries that initiated the Moscow Mechanism.”

Irakli Kirtskhalia said any OSCE representatives were welcome to visit Georgia and investigate “as they wish and for as long as they wish.” He framed Sweden’s comments as an “unwelcome example of foreign interference” in Georgia’s internal affairs.

“The ruling team has repeatedly observed in recent years that certain institutions and organisations, which should be focused on cooperation, are instead used as tools to target political opponents,” Kirtskhalia said.

He criticised Sweden’s Moderate Youth Party for awarding this year’s Freedom Prize to all anti-government protesters in Georgia, including “violent radicals,” calling it a “blatant and unfriendly interference in Georgian politics.”

Kirtskhalia also raised concerns about developments in Sweden itself, citing “rising hate crimes, increased organised crime and gang-related violence, economic stagnation, high inflation, weak domestic demand, household debt challenges, and long waiting times for healthcare.”

“Unlike you, our concerns are based on facts, statistics and objective data,” he said. “We urge you not to spend time worrying about problems that do not exist in Georgia, but instead to focus on the serious and objectively concerning challenges facing your own country.”

Kirtskhalia concluded by saying that Georgia would continue to monitor and publicly express concerns about anti-democratic processes abroad, particularly in Sweden.