Day: April 2, 2026

Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili is visiting Slovakia from April 1 to 3.

In Bratislava, he met with Slovakia’s president, Peter Pellegrini, and Speaker of the National Council Richard Raši, as well as with Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister Denisa Saková.

Kavelashvili is accompanied by a Georgian delegation that includes Nikoloz Samkharadze, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the disputed Parliament, Deputy GD Foreign Minister Giorgi Zurabashvili, Georgia’s Ambassador to Slovakia, Konstantine Kvachakidze, and representatives of the presidential administration.

Slovakia and Hungary, under far-right populist leaders Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán, respectively, remain among the few European partners of Georgian Dream, amid wider international isolation by the country’s traditional Western partners.

Meeting with the Slovak President

On April 2, Mikheil Kavelashvili met with his Slovak counterpart, President Peter Pellegrini.

During a one-on-one meeting, the two discussed “successful cooperation” and prospects for “deepening existing dialogue” between Tbilisi and Bratislava, according to a press release from Georgia’s presidential administration.

“As the President of Georgia noted during the meeting, in an era of unprecedented global challenges and risks, it is particularly valuable for Georgia to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Slovakia and to support one another in international formats,” the release said, adding that Kavelashvili thanked Pellegrini for his “support for Georgia’s European integration path” and for his “efforts to safeguard the Georgia-EU partnership.”

Press Briefing

Following the meeting, the two leaders each delivered speeches in their native languages during a joint press conference. Along with other bilateral and international issues, the two presidents also addressed Georgia’s EU integration.

Peter Pellegrini’s Remarks

“Bratislava and Slovakia are places where solutions can be sought. Bratislava is a place for dialogue and diplomacy. That is necessary to build trust between nations and states,” Pellegrini said, according to a Georgian translation of his remarks in Slovak.

Pellegrini said EU enlargement is “one of the priorities” for him in international politics and that he discussed it with Kavelashvili. “Some countries express a desire to join the EU and are working on reforms to meet the criteria. On the other hand, enlargement is a complex process, but we must respect that it is a sovereign decision of any country to continue negotiations. It is up to each country to determine how it sees its European perspective,” he said.

“I assured him that Slovakia has become part of a large European market and a member of the European family of developed countries. I am glad that bilateral relations are intensifying at the political level,” he added.

Pellegrini then discussed Georgia-Slovakia ties at length, including trade, education, and partnerships in international formats. He also addressed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and discussed their effects on Slovakia’s economy and the importance of “diplomacy” in avoiding escalation.

Mikheil Kavelashvili’s Remarks

Kavelashvili, speaking in Georgian, called Slovakia Georgia’s “closest ally” and “friend,” saying the two countries “share a common vision grounded in peace, stability, and the protection of national interests,” and added that “against the backdrop of acute global challenges and geopolitical risks, mutual support and close cooperation between countries that share common values and approaches become especially important.”

He added that they had discussed cooperation between the two countries in trade, investment, tourism, defense, security, culture, and education, and emphasized Georgia’s “key role” in the Middle Corridor project and the country’s “growing potential,” especially “in a complex and rapidly changing geopolitical environment.”

He then went on to discuss Georgia-EU relations, saying, “Unfortunately, at this stage, European bureaucracy often makes mistakes in its dealings with us.” Kavelashvili claimed that “Georgia remains committed” to the European values and “Slovakia serves as an exemplary model in upholding these principles.”

“Our people look up to Slovakia’s positioning in the EU with hope, because we have once again expressed our strong desire to become EU members, but our national interests, sovereignty, and the principles of fairness must be respected,” he said.

He further claimed, “We have not halted negotiations. We are always ready for fair, constructive dialogue, but such a process requires a counterpart.” He blamed the “Brussels bureaucracy,” which he said “behaves differently,” while noting that “there is a small group of countries that give us hope.” “Slovakia is one of the leading countries that upholds these principles. Georgia consistently receives support from them, which is very much appreciated,” he added.

The remarks come as EU-Georgia relations are at their lowest point, following what is widely seen as Georgian Dream’s anti-democratic actions in recent years, its November 28, 2024, decision to halt the EU integration process, legislation widely viewed as contrary to European and democratic standards, and its anti-European and anti-Western rhetoric.

Kavelashvili then raised several key talking points of Georgian Dream regarding the war in Ukraine and Georgia, including claims that Georgia faced pressure to join a war with Russia, sanction Russia, and send volunteer fighters to Ukraine. He said, “If more countries were loyal to the peace-oriented policy pursued by Slovakia and Georgia, I am convinced there would have been no war in Ukraine.”

Further Meetings

On April 2, Kavelashvili, together with other members of the Georgian delegation, met with the Speaker of the National Council of Slovakia, Richard Raši.

“During the meeting, the parties focused on prospects for strengthening interparliamentary cooperation, noting that cooperation between the legislative bodies holds a special place in Georgia–Slovakia relations,” Georgia’s presidential administration reported.

On April 2, he met, again together with a delegation, with Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Denisa Saková. The two sides discussed bilateral relations, global political developments, Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor, and Georgia-EU relations.

Also Read:

• 18/12/2025 – Mikheil Kavelashvili Visits Serbia
• 26/09/2025 – Kavelashvili, Botchorishvili Attend 80th UN General Assembly in New York
• 13/08/2025 – Mikheil Kavelashvili Visits Turkey
• 29/04/2025 – Mikheil Kavelashvili Visits Armenia
• 16/04/2025 – Mikheil Kavelashvili Visits Azerbaijan

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The Public Defender of Georgia submitted to the disputed parliament on March 31 an annual report on the State of Human Rights and Freedoms in Georgia for 2025. The 420-page document reviews a range of human rights concerns, including issues related to protests and freedom of assembly, the rule of law, Russian occupation, and minority rights, among others.

Protest-Related Abuses

Describing 2024 as a “particularly severe and memorable” year in terms of rights violations during the protests, the new report laments that still no law enforcement officer has faced criminal prosecution for documented cases of police ill-treatment. The report notes that criminal prosecution was not initiated “even in two cases where the abusive police officers did not cover their faces,” adding that investigations in other incidents, including attacks on the media, yielded no results.

“Ineffective investigation remains a significant obstacle in the fight against ill-treatment,” the report states, raising concern that “transparency level has, unfortunately, significantly decreased” following the July abolishment of the Special Investigative Service, the body that was responsible for probing officials’ misconduct, and its transfer to the Prosecutor’s Office.

While noting that the number of reported detentions of activists and alleged ill-treatment of protest participants decreased in 2025 compared with 2024, the report attributes this “largely” to the smaller scale of the protests. Yet it notes that some individuals still reported “improper treatment,” including “degrading treatment.”

According to the report, which did not specify the exact period, “as of today,” Public Defender representatives visited a total of 573 people detained during protests, of whom 302 reported alleged ill-treatment, 194 showed signs of injuries, 49 were women, and two were minors.

During meetings with Public Defender representatives, the report says, detainees reported police ill-treatment, including degrading treatment, physical violence, verbal abuse, excessively tight handcuffing, and being kept handcuffed behind their backs for hours. Some also reported the use of excessive and disproportionate force by police.

Freedom of Assembly, Expression, and Association

According to the report, issues related to the rule of law and exercising civil and political rights were “particularly pressing” in 2025.

The report reviews a series of legislative amendments adopted by the disputed parliament that gradually tightened protest-related rules, including making “blocking roads” immediately punishable by detention, extending restrictions to pedestrian areas, and expanding the Interior Ministry’s authority to determine the time and location of protests. According to the report, 8,200 protest-related administrative offenses were recorded in 2025.

“According to Public Defender, it is impossible to predict in which cases expressing protest on sidewalks might create a legitimate basis for interference with rights,” the report says, noting that the Public Defender had challenged these amendments in the country’s Constitutional Court.

The report also reviews legislation affecting civil society and media organizations, including the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and amendments to the Grants Law, which effectively restricted foreign funding. It further raises concerns over the freezing of bank accounts of civil society groups, questioning the “justification and proportionality” of such measures.

The report also criticizes amendments that expanded the powers of the Communications Commission, a state media regulator, and tightening content-related obligations for broadcasters, noting that “the broad and general formulation of legislative norms creates a risk of their varied interpretation” and that practice of the Commission’s work showed that “the assessment of critical expression was not based on a proper analysis of the necessity and proportionality of interference with freedom of expression, increasing the risk of disproportionate impact on media freedom.”

“The broad prohibition on broadcasters receiving foreign funding may significantly restrict the financial independence and pluralism of the media,” the report warns, noting that while the changes are officially intended to reduce “external influence” on public opinion, their application is sweeping and “does not distinguish between harmful and socially beneficial funding, which may constitute disproportionate interference with freedom of expression.”

The report further points to changes to the law on common courts that limited media coverage on court premises, saying the changes “significantly undermined both the transparency of the judicial system and media access to the administration of justice.”

The report also flags new administrative liability for insulting state officials, saying that “such an unconditional prohibition is inconsistent with the standard or lawful interference with freedom of expression.”

Additionally, the report identifies dismissals of public officials allegedly “likely” linked to their political or civic positions as one of “the most acute problems” in 2025, stressing that such actions violate principles of equality and freedom of expression. “Freedom of expression extends to the workplace,” the report says, “And any personnel decisions must comply with the constitutional guarantees protecting this right and must not be arbitrary in nature.”

Social Issues

The report identifies poverty, gaps in social protection, disability rights, homelessness, and challenges facing national minorities as key social issues in 2025.

“Poverty remains one of the main challenges in the country,” according to the report, saying it negatively affects the realization of all human rights, and particularly impacting vulnerable groups, including children and older persons.

Homelessness remains another concern, with the report noting the absence of a legislative definition of homeless persons. It adds that most municipalities lack standardized registration procedures, while existing definitions are inconsistent and not aligned with international standards.

Regarding persons with disabilities, the report says the transition to a biopsychosocial model for assessing disability status has been “delayed for years,” with evaluations still based on a medical model that it says overlooks individual needs.

The report raises concerns over legislative amendments introducing a “Unified Information Database” on persons with mental health conditions, describing them as problematic from a human rights perspective.

The report also identifies language and information barriers as persistent challenges for national minorities. While noting some progress in bilingual education programs, the report says existing issues continue to hinder access to quality education and calls for a more consistent and results-oriented policy. It also stresses the need to expand state language programs, improve access to public services and employment support, and increase efforts to promote minority cultures, noting that such initiatives remain limited.

Penitentiary System, Psychiatric Institutions

The report says conditions in penitentiary institutions remain challenging, citing overcrowding and the “continued presence of informal [inmate] governance.” It adds that the prolonged and punitive use of de-escalation rooms and solitary confinement “amounts to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.”

The report also highlights problems in identifying and documenting ill-treatment, ensuring adequate medical care and improving physical conditions in prisons.

The report identifies shortcomings in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, including failure to properly inform detainees of their rights, delays in access to lawyers and notifying family members, as well as gaps in body camera use and video surveillance.

“No significant improvement was observed in psychiatric institutions,” the report says, “where violence against patients and inadequate legal safeguards remain concerns.”

Equality and Vulnerable Groups

The report highlights ongoing challenges in terms of the rights of women, children, and sexual and religious minorities.

The report says particular attention is needed to women’s rights, citing barriers in labor relations, gaps in preventing sexual harassment, and persistent challenges in addressing femicide. Of 12 killings of women recorded in 2025, 10 were committed by family members, while 9 of 21 attempted murders were also attributed to family members. According to the report, the Prosecutor’s Office classified five cases as femicide and eight as attempted femicide.

“Regrettably, in 2025 as well, there were instances where, despite prior information available to the state about possible violence, it was not possible to prevent the killing or attempted killing of women,” the report says.

The report says LGBT+ individuals are “one of the most vulnerable groups” frequently targeted by violence, with transgender women facing a “particularly high risk of hate-motivated attacks.”

The report also notes continued challenges in the protection of children’s rights, citing weak preventive mechanisms, limited institutional resources, and insufficient interagency coordination. It calls for stronger child-centered policies, improved responses to violence, greater public awareness, and better trust in institutions, as well as timely diversion of minors and safeguards for their emotional well-being.

Russian Occupation

The report opens with the issue of the occupation, which it says continues to create “significant problems” and leads to “rights violations” of people living in both Tbilisi-controlled territories and occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia.

It says representatives of the occupying regimes responsible for the killings of Georgian citizens – Tamaz Ginturi (2023), Davit Basharuli (2014), Giga Otkhozoria (2016), Archil Tatunashvili (2018), and Irakli Kvaratskhelia (2019) – “remain unpunished to this day,” stating, “Russia is responsible.”

The report says that unlawful detention and imprisonment by occupying forces for the so-called illegal border crossings “remain a challenge.” It further says that the occupying forces continue the process of “borderization,” stressing that property rights remain a “daily challenge” for populations living near the occupation lines.

Access to education in the native language is described as “one of the most significant challenges.”

“In all schools of occupied Gali [Abkhazia] and Akhalgori [Tskhinvali/South Ossetia], teaching in Georgian has been completely banned in primary grades, with the native language converted into a foreign language and literature subject, leading to a year-by-year decline in student enrollment,” the report says, adding that de facto authorities continue “ethnic-based persecution and psychological pressure” against students and teachers.

The report also says that “more state efforts are needed” to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to the report, by the end of 2025, Georgia had 300,492 registered IDPs in 97,280, with 45,160 families still lacking long-term housing.

Also Read:

• 14/11/2025 – OSCE/ODIHR Calls for Repeal of Georgia’s New Protest Laws
• 02/06/2025 – Public Defender Says FARA Not Inherently “Undemocratic”, Will Monitor Its Applicaiton
• 02/04/2025 – Public Defender’s 2024 Human Rights Report

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