Public Defender Submits Information about Human Rights Situation on Georgia’s territory to OHCHR
The Public Defender of Georgia has submitted information about the human rights situation in the occupied territories of Georgia to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) within the framework of the Resolution of the Human Rights Council on Cooperation with Georgia.
In 2017, the High Commissioner for Human Rights presented a report on cooperation with Georgia, which reviewed the human rights situation in Georgia and especially in the occupied territories of Georgia - Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. In 2018, the United Nations Human Rights Council again instructed the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a new report in order to reflect recent developments.
The Public Defender, in accordance with the appeal of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, submitted information about violations of human rights in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region in recent months, including illegal detentions, violations of freedom of movement, right to education, property rights and cases of restriction of freedom of expression. In addition, the Public Defender reviewed in detail the case of Archil Tatunashvili who was killed in Tskhinvali and pressure exerted on civil activist Tamar Mearakishvili.
The submitted information underlines the responsibility of the Russian Federation in relation to the abovementioned human rights violations and calls on the Russian Federation to stop ethnic discrimination on the occupied territories, administer justice in relation to the crimes committed on ethnic grounds and remove the obstacles that hamper punishment of persons involved in the illegal deprivation of lives of A. Tatunashvili, G. Otkhozoria and D. Basharuli, as well as to stop illegal detention of people at the administrative division lines and ensure access of human rights and humanitarian international organizations to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region for monitoring human rights situation there.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights will deliver an oral report at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council and a written report - at the 39th session.
