United Nations Office in Georgia/A. Nesterenko. Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, said today that the Government of Georgia must radically improve its attitude towards human rights defenders and create an enabling environment for their legitimate work, from public statements to policy and legislative frameworks, while addressing concerns about increased polarization and insecurity.
"Georgia has an extremely strong, vibrant, determined and pluralistic civil society that has grown over time and should be considered the pride of the country," Lawler said in a statement at the end of his nine-day visit to Georgia. ”
Recognition of legitimate roles
Lawlor said the authorities must publicly recognize the legitimate role of human rights defenders and their important contribution to a just and harmonious society.
She stressed that human rights defenders will not feel safe and protected as long as members of the Government and parliament continue to make defamatory statements against civil society or condone such statements by others, including through smear on social media.
Governments should not merely "tolerate" civil society, but should actively promote its role and activities, including the protection of the rights to freedom of assembly, privacy and expression.
Establish accountability
Lawlor is deeply concerned about the systematic impunity that prevails in the country, including attacks, harassment and unwarranted surveillance of human rights defenders, including women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender-singular and intersex people.
She noted that the key to accountability is to ensure prompt and transparent investigations into allegations of violence against defenders, which can also help prevent them from being subjected to further attacks.
"The Georgian government should fully comply with its international human rights obligations and commitments and treat human rights defenders as allies rather than enemies," Lawlor said. ”
Lawlor will present a full report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in March 2025.
Human rights expert
Mary Lawlor is the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, appointed by the Human Rights Council. She is currently an Associate Professor of Business and Human Rights at the Centre for Social Innovation at Trinity College Dublin Business School. In 2001, she founded Frontline: International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which focuses on human rights defenders at risk. Lawlor was Director of Amnesty International Ireland from 1988 to 2000, became a member of the Board of Directors in 1975 and was elected Chairman of the Board from 1983 to 1987.
The Special Rapporteur is part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name of the Human Rights Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanism, which addresses specific country situations or thematic issues around the world. The experts of the special procedures work on a voluntary basis, they are not United Nations staff members and are independent of any government or organization. They perform their duties in their personal capacity and do not receive remuneration for their work.
