Georgia’s 4 October local elections are taking place amid severe political reprisals against opposition figures and civil society, Amnesty International said.
The human rights organization has documented a sweeping campaign of repression, including politically motivated prosecutions of opposition figures, the silencing of independent media and civil society through restrictive laws and punitive measures, and the widespread arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of protesters.
“With opposition leaders jailed and civil society organizations under attack, the Georgian authorities are holding an election campaign in a context where people’s rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly are being crushed,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director.
“The Georgian authorities must uphold their human rights obligations and stop the unlawful use of police force, arbitrary detentions and the torture or other ill-treatment of protesters. These abuses have already pushed the country into a deep human rights crisis following parliamentary elections in October 2024.”
Opposition leaders behind bars, dissent effectively criminalized
The misuse of the criminal justice system to sideline critics violates their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Since late 2024, dozens of political activists and protesters have been targeted with criminal prosecutions. At least 60 people have been detained on criminal charges in connection with their participation in anti-government protests, with dozens already sentenced to prison terms following unfair trials.
Among them are nine opposition figures who remain in custody. The most recent arrest, on 29 September 2025, was of politician Gela Khasaia from the Girchi – More Freedom party. He was accused of “intentionally causing minor bodily harm” during a violent incident which he claims he witnessed, rather than participated in. He reported being fully stripped, insulted and psychologically pressured while in police custody.
Civil society and independent media under assault
Independent civil society groups and media are being silenced through restrictive laws and a wide range of legal and other measures. Independent NGOs are forced to register under the “foreign influence” law and subjected to arbitrary intrusive inspections, criminal investigations and asset freezes. Several civil society groups have had their bank accounts blocked under criminal proceedings based on unfounded “sabotage” allegations, with their leaders facing repeated questioning before judicial and state bodies, and other forms of intimidation. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) announced that it will not be able to conduct electoral observation due to the repressive environment.
Independent media outlets face similar reprisals. The Mtavari Arkhi TV-broadcaster has been forced off air since 1 May 2025. Other outlets have been targeted with politically motivated defamation suits, fines and criminal probes to supress their critical reporting. Journalists covering protests have faced assault, verbal abuse, arbitrary detention and harassment by police. At least one foreign journalist seeking to cover the elections has been denied entry to Georgia.
Background
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze labelled the organizers of protests planned on 4 October as “radical” and pledged a “strict” response, which in the current context appears a thinly-veiled threat of more use of unlawful force by police.
More than 500 protesters were detained in late 2024 alone, most on spurious administrative charges. At least 300 detainees reported torture or other ill-treatment, with dozens injured during the protests or in detention, and requiring hospitalization. Pro-government groups have violently attacked demonstrators. Despite overwhelming evidence of human rights violations, not a single police officer has been brought to account.
Women protesters continue to face gender-based violence and gendered reprisals, including sexist insults, threats of sexual violence, and degrading strip searches, despite the Ministry of Justice’s June 2025 pledge to end unlawful full-body strip searches. On 8 September 2025, government supporters physically and verbally assaulted protesters and journalists, among them women, who assembled in front of the Tbilisi Mayor’s campaign office. The mayor responded to the attacks and the sexualized abuse with a misogynistic statement: “There isn’t a single woman here… it’s some other breed.”
Hundreds of civil servants have been reportedly dismissed as part of politically motivated purges.
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