The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly calls on Tbilisi to release political prisoners

The draft version of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly report for 2025 (the final version is not yet available) examines the issue of Georgia in several aspects. In particular, the document states that the parliamentary elections held in the country in October 2024 were marred by a number of violations, according to the final report of the observers of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The authors of the report also call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and the holding of new fair elections.

“We welcome the activation of the OSCE Vienna Mechanism in response to the mass protests in Georgia following the 26 October 2024 parliamentary elections, which, according to the final report of the ODIHR Election Observation Mission, were marred by a number of violations, recognize the importance of this mechanism in addressing concerns related to human rights, democratic processes and the rule of law, and call for continued dialogue and co-operation to ensure the protection of fundamental freedoms, in particular through the immediate release of all political prisoners and the holding of new, free and fair elections that truly reflect the will of the Georgian people,” the report says.

Последние новости
Russian authorities want to impose fines for wearing the niqab
Human rights
Russian authorities want to impose fines for wearing the niqab
25 February 2026

Deputies have introduced a bill in the State Duma banning the wearing of niqabs and any other clothing that covers the face. Examples cited include the ban on wearing such clothing in Central Asian countries.
Georgia again rejected calls to join anti-Russian sanctions
Politics
Georgia again rejected calls to join anti-Russian sanctions
25 February 2026

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized Brussels' demands to join sanctions against Russia. He said these calls were inappropriate, given that the EU itself is a major importer of Russian products.
Ruben Vardanyan Drops Appeal Against 20-Year Sentence in Azerbaijan
Human rights
Ruben Vardanyan Drops Appeal Against 20-Year Sentence in Azerbaijan
25 February 2026

Billionaire and former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, sentenced in Baku to 20 years in prison, rejected the legal force of the ruling and dropped his appeal. His family explained that this decision stemmed from the fact that, in their view, the trial was a "staged performance" rather than a proper trial: the hearings were held behind closed doors, without access to independent observers, and the prosecution's motions were ignored. The full text of the verdict was also not released.
Azerbaijani political prisoners appeal to the European Commission to address human rights in the country
Human rights
Azerbaijani political prisoners appeal to the European Commission to address human rights in the country
25 February 2026

A group of imprisoned activists and journalists from Baku's Penal Colony No. 2 has appealed to the President of the European Commission. They demand the implementation of European Parliament resolutions calling for the release of Azerbaijani political prisoners.