Council of Europe Deploys Observer Mission to Georgia Amid Political Standoff

A delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) began meetings in Tbilisi on Monday as part of an observer mission to evaluate Georgia's compliance with democratic and human rights commitments.

The visit comes as the country’s domestic politics is shaken by a series of rough-handed measures by the Georgian Dream (GD) government, directed at opposition figures and street protesters, drawing increasing criticism from European institutions, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

The delegation met opposition parties, non-governmental organizations, and media representatives on Monday and is expected to hold talks with ruling party officials and members of both the executive and legislative branches on Tuesday. According to GD lawmaker Levan Makhashvili, the mission belongs to PACE’s Monitoring Committee, which regularly evaluates whether member states comply with the Council of Europe’s standards.

Makhashvili said he expects the delegation to issue “a clear and unambiguous assessment” of the events of October 4, when anti-government protests in Tbilisi turned violent. He added that any report that fails to address “the responsibility of radical groups” would be viewed as “at minimum insincere.”

Analysts that Rezonansi spoke to offered different views on what the visit might achieve. Political analyst Petre Mamradze told the newspaper that he expects little change in tone from Strasbourg. “PACE has already distanced itself from facts and reality,” he said. “It is unlikely they will suddenly admit they were wrong.” Mamradze claimed that the organization has been misinformed by anti-government forces exaggerating reports of police brutality and human rights abuses.

Kakha Gogolashvili, director of the Center for European Studies, said the observers will likely prepare recommendations that could include a proposal to suspend Georgia’s voting rights in the Council of Europe. He noted that the Council had previously given Georgia deadlines to amend controversial laws and ensure fair elections. “If these expectations were not met,” he said, “such a recommendation is possible.”