The UK and 23 other countries have invoked the OSCE Moscow Mechanism to launch an expert mission on the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia.
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the following delegations: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and my own country Sweden.
We have followed closely and with increasing concern the human rights situation in Georgia.
As an OSCE participating State, Georgia has undertaken to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms. It has also recognised that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is an essential factor for the peace, justice and well-being necessary to ensure the development of friendly relations and co-operation among States.
In December 2024 38 participating States invoked the OSCE Vienna Mechanism, in order to express concern about developments in Georgia and to request more information. Our delegations as well as others have repeatedly raised our concerns in the Permanent Council, believing the Council is an important forum to promote dialogue and consultations among participating States.
However our concerns about implementation of shared human dimension commitments and international human rights obligations by the Georgian authorities have only increased.
Recalling that all participating States have committed to co-operative review of implementation of commitments in the field of the human dimension and in particular participating States' agreement at Astana that "commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States", we invoke paragraph 12 of the 1991 Document of the Moscow meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the then CSCE in order to establish a fact-finding mission to assess Georgia's implementation of its OSCE commitments, with a particular focus on developments since spring 2024.
We acknowledge Georgia's engagement with our delegations during 2025 and it is in a spirit of a constructive approach that our delegations have today written to the Director of ODIHR.
We note Georgia's response to questions raised in the 2024 Vienna Mechanism and urge Georgia to cooperate with and facilitate the work of the Mission, as per paragraph 6 of the Moscow Document. Such engagement would demonstrate goodwill and readiness for a constructive and open dialogue. We recall that in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Moscow Document, one member of the Mission may be chosen by Georgia from the List of Experts for the Human Dimension Mechanism maintained by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
We look forward to working with the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on arrangements for the Mission.
The full text of the letter will be appended to this statement when circulated, and I request that it be added to the Journal of the day.
