On October 10, the Democracy Research Institute held a presentation of the report - "Human Rights in the Occupied Territories of Georgia and along the Dividing Line".

The theme of the presentation was the situation of human rights in the occupied territories and the villages located along the dividing line, and the strengthening of the annexation policy by Russia.

Over the last one year, Russia's undisguised annexation policy towards Abkhazia has become particularly aggressive, which can be seen in the harassment of international organizations and Abkhazian civil society and in the ultimatums issued to the de facto authorities of Abkhazia. Unlike Tbilisi, where the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence in less than two months, the de facto parliament of Abkhazia has not yet started considering the draft law "On Non-Profit Organizations and Individuals Acting as Foreign Agents" submitted by Bzhania in February 2024. On the other hand, in occupied Tskhinvali, the adoption of legislation similar to Russia in 2014 effectively eliminated independent civil society and critical media.

The report also deals with the Russian military naval base deployed in Ochamchire, which, according to the Democracy Research Institute, poses a fundamental threat to the security of Georgia and the Black Sea region. Considering the magnitude of the expected threat, the formal critical assessment declared by the authorities only for the Georgian audience is insufficient and ineffective.

The situation of ​​human rights is particularly difficult in the occupied regions. The situation of ethnic Georgians in prisons and detention facilities is alarming. Last year, Vitali Karbaia, a resident of Gali, died of injuries inflicted by the police in occupied Abkhazia, while Irakli Bebua remains in illegal imprisonment for the fourth year. In addition to this, the restriction of the right to receive education has become a challenge for the ethnically Georgian population of Abkhazia from 2024. The lack of physical and economic security is the main reason for the outflow of the local population from Abkhazia - demographic problems are most acute in the Gali district.

Among the problems in the Tskhinvali region, the obstacle created in terms of freedom of movement is the central one. The de facto authorities create various barriers to the freedom of movement of people who have not left their homes despite the conflict, which aggravates the situation of the population and deprives them of the opportunity to receive full health services, buy food products, medicines and maintain family relationships. The issue of receiving education in the native language remains a challenge in Tskhinvali. Until 2017, education in Akhalgori schools was conducted in the Georgian language and the Georgian curriculum was used, but from September 2017, the Georgian curriculum has been completely replaced by the Russian curriculum.

Illegal arrests of Georgian citizens by the Russian occupying forces remain the most important challenge in occupied Tskhinvali. In 2023, 31 citizens of Georgia were abducted, which is twice the figure of 2022. It should be emphasized that some of the arrests took place in the territories under the control of the central government. During the reporting period, representatives of the Russian occupation forces shot dead Tamaz Ginturi, a resident of the village of Kirbali, a citizen of Georgia, in the vicinity of the Lomisi church. Although the names of the Russian soldiers, who fatally wounded Tamaz Ginturi, are known, as of September 2024, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has not charged any of them.

Human Rights in the Occupied Territories of Georgia and along the Dividing Line