US Department human rights report based on “fake” reports by “biased” domestic NGOs – PM

Georgian prime minister Iralli Garibashvili on Monday said the latest Human Rights Report by the US Department of State had been based on “fake information” provided by “biased, elite” domestic organizations, making the report on Georgia “contrived” and “speculative”.

 

“I very briefly got acquainted with the report, the main points. It is a pity that it is based mainly on the information that was provided by non-objective, biased, subjective and unfair conclusions, which had been drafted by so-called elite non-governmental organizations [in Georgia]” Garibashvili said. 

 

“The facts mentioned are not true, they are speculations and are based on information made up by individual, politically engaged biased people. This is not interesting for us”, he added. 

 

The US State Department’s 2022 World Human Rights Report was released on Monday and said impunity remained a problem in the country. 

 

The report included the cases of violence against journalists on July 5, 2021, as well as June 2019 incidents related to large protests in Tbilisi, the abduction of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarli from Tbilisi in 2017 and the cases of imprisoned opposition channel head Nika Gvaramia and former president Mikheil Saakashvili. 

 

“The government took steps to investigate some officials for human rights abuses, but impunity remained a problem. The government’s failure to credibly investigate and prosecute the organizers of July 2021 violence in advance of the Pride March resulted in impunity for those abuses. Lack of accountability also continued for the inappropriate police use of force against journalists and protesters during June 2019 demonstrations and the 2017 abduction and rendition from the country of Azerbaijani journalist and activist Afgan Mukhtarli”, said the report.