The FINANCIAL — The grave human rights situation in Georgia’s occupied territories is highlighted in the Human Rights and Democracy Report of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The annual report, published on 16 July 2020 on the official web-site of FCO, clearly highlights the sharp deterioration in the human rights situation. Meanwhile, The de facto authorities in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia passed a law in April that would re-introduce the death penalty from January 2020.
The report underlines closure of the occupation line, restrictions on freedom of movement and rights of education and healthcare, discrimination against ethnic Georgians and the grave humanitarian situations caused by Russia’s illegal activities. The document strictly outlines that responsibility for gross violations of human rights in the occupied regions lays on the Russian side.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office report for 2019 says that increased Russian interference has led to a sharp deterioration in the human rights situation in the two Russian-occupied regions of Georgia-Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). The report says that ‘continued closure of the majority of crossing points’ along the occupation line raised tensions and resulted in frequent detentions and severe restrictions on freedom of movement, affecting livelihoods, education, and access to healthcare, local media agenda.ge reported
“In Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, increased Russian interference led to a sharp deterioration in the human rights situation. Discrimination against ethnic Georgians and intimidation of members of civil society continued. The UK supported Georgian resolutions at the UN General Assembly on internally displaced persons and at the UN Human Rights Council requesting access for the Office of the UN High Representative for Human Rights,” is written in a report.
The human rights situation in Georgia was first reflected in the UK the Human Rights and Democracy Report in 2016, due to the Georgian Embassy’s dedicated efforts and intense co-operation with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK Parliament.
“The Government of Russia also committed human rights violations in illegally annexed Crimea and, through its support to separatists, in eastern Ukraine. The Russian Federation ignored calls by the UN General Assembly to allow international monitoring organisations access to Crimea, preventing a full independent assessment of the human rights situation,” reports says.
The de facto authorities in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia passed a law in April that would re-introduce the death penalty from January 2020. The UK continued to work with advocacy groups and law makers to reform approaches to the death penalty in Indonesia, shape public debate about its use, and raise concerns over continuing cases. We urged the Government of the Philippines to reconsider moves to re-instate the death penalty. The UK continued to raise concerns over the use of the death penalty in retentionist US states.
Members of the European Parliament deplore the constant violations by Russia, which is currently exercising effective control over the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, of the fundamental rights of the people living in these regions, who are being deprived of both their liberties and rights. MEPs express their concern that the continuous “illegal borderisation” has particularly detrimental effects in the context of the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, since it deprives people of their right to free movement, access to necessary medical services and is endangering their lives.
Furthermore, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemns the actions of the Russian occupation regime on wounding and illegally detaining of the citizen of Georgia Zaza Gakheladze on the occupation line with the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia near the village of Kvemo Chala.
U.S Embassy in Georgia demands release of illegally detained Georgian
