The State Security Service of Georgia was established on 1 August 2015, as initially promised, as an agency entrusted with operational and analytical responsibilities aimed at ensuring the security of the country. The goal of its establishment was to reduce the unchecked power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and to depoliticise law-enforcement agencies. However, over the years, the functions of the Service have expanded significantly, and its activities in many areas now exceed the limits of its legally defined mandate. Furthermore, it was granted an investigative function from the moment of its establishment.

For years, the Security Service (hereinafter the “Service”) has investigated criminal cases that are not directly related to the security of the country. The Service also includes an operational and technical agency authorised to carry out covert investigative activities, which, if not properly supervised, increase the risk of human rights violations. Especially in the current tense political climate, the issue of the Service’s politicisation has become even more apparent. Sudden changes and the appointment of party figures behind closed doors provide further evidence of this. Despite the legislative guarantees of the agency’s independence, the investigations initiated and left unfinished over the years, the statements it has made, and its pursuit of party interests all point to its pronounced politicisation. In addition, under the Georgian Dream-led Parliament, parliamentary oversight of the State Security Service has been abolished, making the Service even more opaque. As a result, instead of safeguarding the security of the country, the Service has become a tool in the hands of the ruling party, used to violate human rights.

Political Influence over the State Security Service and its lack of accountability