Swedish Foreign Ministry summons Georgian Envoy over human rights concerns

Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has summoned Georgia’s Chargé d’Affaires in Stockholm to express serious concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia. The meeting took place on Friday, July 11, and was confirmed by Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard via a post on X.

“Together with several European Foreign Ministers and [Estonian Prime Minister] @kajakallas, I have issued a statement regarding the deteriorating situation in Georgia,” wrote Stenergard. “The recent imprisonment and detention of Georgian opposition leaders – as well as arbitrary arrests and increasing repression of civil society, peaceful protesters, and independent journalists – contribute to the dismantling of democracy in Georgia, in contradiction to European norms and values.”

According to Sweden’s foreign ministry, a senior official personally relayed these concerns to the Georgian diplomat, underscoring the EU’s growing alarm over political repression in the country.

The diplomatic summons comes ahead of an upcoming meeting of EU foreign ministers, where Georgia is expected to be on the agenda. Sources indicate that sanctions against Georgian judges may be among the issues discussed.

The latest escalation follows a joint statement by 17 European countries, including Germany, France, the UK, and Nordic and Baltic states, strongly condemning the ruling Georgian Dream government’s 'authoritarian' trajectory. The statement demanded the release of political prisoners, the repeal of repressive laws, and a return to democratic norms.

In response, members of the ruling Georgian Dream party have accused Western governments of political interference and have used the criticism as grounds to make increasingly anti-Western remarks.