The 2024 Report of the Public Defender of Georgia on the Situation of Human Rights and Freedoms reviews the challenges and progress relating to the protection of human rights guaranteed by the Constitution, as well as significant trends that require an appropriate and timely response from the authorities.

The first chapter of the report emphasizes that representatives of the occupation regimes directly involved in the murders of Tamaz Ginturi, Davit Basharuli, Giga Otkhozoria, Archil Tatunashvili and Irakli Kvaratskhelia remain unpunished to this day, for which the Russian Federation bears responsibility. The rights of residents of the occupied territories and those living near the occupation line, illegal detentions across the occupation line and cases of illegal imprisonment, restrictions on movement, education in the native language, health and social protection, illegal so-called borderization and violation of the right to property, as well as the issue of resettlement of IDPs, are discussed in the document.

In 2024, violations of rights during the protests took a particularly severe form. In addition to the beatings and violence against citizens by law enforcement officers, there was persecution and violence against civil activists, journalists and public figures by unknown persons; there were also organized telephone threats and violent intolerance expressed in various forms.

From April 15, 2024 to March 1, 2025, the Public Defender and his representatives visited 624 people detained and injured during the protests. Of these, 360 people (57.7%) indicated ill-treatment.

It is noteworthy that to date, no law enforcement officer has been held accountable for committing ill-treatment.

The situation of media and freedom of expression has been negatively affected by restrictive legislative changes, insecure environment in the country, and outdated legislation regulating access to information; as well as negative rhetoric of high-ranking officials and politicians.

With regard to the inviolability of private life, the rules for conducting covert investigative actions need to be refined.

Poverty remains one of the main challenges in the country. The scale of child poverty is particularly alarming. The number of children under the age of 18 registered in the Unified Database of Socially Vulnerable Families is 369,924, of which 270,712 children receive social assistance.

Poverty also negatively affects the realization of the rights of older persons. The share of the population aged 65 and older in the total population has increased from 15.6% to 16.2% last year. Along with the increase in their number, the percentage of socially vulnerable and those living below the poverty line is also increasing. The shortcomings in the detection, assessment and response to violence against older persons are also noteworthy.

No national accessibility plan has yet been approved to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. There are no standards for access to information or communication for persons with disabilities. Challenges include gaps in the provision of education, detection and prevention of violence, access to justice, and the lack and quality of rehabilitation services for persons with mental health problems.

The process of deinstitutionalization of large-scale psychiatric hospitals and institutions for persons with disabilities has remained an unresolved problem for years.

To achieve full civic integration of representatives of national minorities, more attention should be paid to issues of the official language and bilingual education, as well as access to information on employment and various services.

Overcrowding and individual cases of informal governance, identification and documentation of ill-treatment, adequate medical care for prisoners, and the physical environment of the institutions remain serious challenges in the penitentiary institutions. The mechanism for the early release of prisoners needs to be refined. The Public Defender's proposal to reduce the deadline for life-sentenced prisoners to apply to the court for early release by several years remains unfulfilled.

Some of the detainees continued to speak about the use of excessive force and physical and psychological violence by law enforcement officers in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Timely access to a lawyer and provision of information to the family remain problematic. The absence of an obligation to use body cameras, to produce audio and video recordings, and to fully equip police premises with video surveillance systems remain problematic.

In the direction of the right to equality and fight against discrimination, the risk of discrimination on political grounds has significantly increased during the pre-election period. As in previous years, the equality of various vulnerable groups has remained a challenge.

The increasing rate of child dropout of recent years has slightly decreased in 2024, however, the statistics are still high. In order to eliminate the harmful practice of child abuse and child marriage, it is necessary to develop child-friendly approaches and effective legislative regulations. Another challenge is effective implementation of the right to reproductive health and access to services.

Unfortunately, prevention of gender-motivated murders of women - fimicide, and the effective implementation of justice in such cases still remain problematic. Of the 25 murders and 17 attempted murders of women that occurred in 2024, the Prosecutor's Office identified femicide in 16 cases, and attempted femicide in 13 cases.

The report discusses the guarantees necessary for the effective functioning of institutions responsible for the protection of human rights; legislative and institutional changes that need to be adopted to ensure a fair trial; measures to be taken to protect the right to health, the right to work and the right to decent remuneration, as well as shortcomings related to the realization of the right to property. It is noted that despite some improvements, there is no unified vision in the country to prevent homelessness.

The report extensively reviews the situation of freedom of belief and religion, issues of human rights education and protection of cultural heritage, as well as the rights of asylum seekers and eco-migrants.

In the reporting period, 3,780 applications were received by the Public Defender of Georgia relating human rights violations. Out of them, 2390 applications were declared admissible and the Office began to consider the merits of the cases. The hotline, which operates 24 hours a day, received 14295 calls.

The Public Defender’s Office issued 82 recommendations and proposals to the state agencies relating to the elimination of violations of rights; prepared 16 special reports, 1 alternative report for international bodies, 2 constitutional complaints, 11 opinions of the friend of the court and 4 communications for the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. It carried out a number of visits to various institutions. A detailed overview of the activities can be found in the Activity Report.

The full 2024 Parliamentary Report on the Situation of Human Rights and Freedoms in Georgia can be found on the official website of the Public Defender of Georgia.

Finland’s National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) has again been accredited with the highest possible accreditation status A. This was confirmed in March 2025 when the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) issued its recommendation and the decision was confirmed by GANHRI’s bodies.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, together with the Human Rights Centre and its Human Rights Delegation, is an independent national structure whose task is to promote, protect, and monitor the implementation of the UN Convention (CRPD) (in accordance with Article 33.2 of the Convention).

The SCA highlighted several strengths supporting the accreditation of Finland’s NHRI with the highest status. Among other things, the SCA noted that the institution operates independently and has extensive mandates to monitor and promote human rights in Finland. According to the SCA, the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman has developed plans that support non-discrimination and diversity in recruitment and activities. The Human Rights Centre and its Delegation on the other hand promote the realisation of fundamental and human rights through communication, education, international cooperation and other activities.

‘A status’ entitles Finland's NHRI to speak in the sessions of the UN Human Rights Council and to vote in the meetings of GANHRI. This gives the institution a strong position in the promotion of human rights both in Finland and internationally.

Duties of the Finnish National Human Rights Institution

The duty of the Ombudsman is to monitor that all authorities and civil servants comply with the law and fulfil their responsibilities. The Ombudsman has a particular duty to ensure that fundamental and human rights are upheld. In addition, the Ombudsman has been assigned certain special duties, such as the secret coercive measures used by the police and the realisation of children’s rights. The Ombudsman also acts as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) referred to in the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.As the NPM, the Ombudsman may inspect places where persons deprived of their liberty are held.

The Human Rights Centre is tasked with promoting information,  training, education and research associated with fundamental and human rights. The Centre also prepares reports on the realisation of these rights, takes initiatives  and issues statements for the promotion of the rights, and participates in international cooperation in the area. The Centre does not handle complaints. 

The Human Rights Centre’s Delegation functions as a national cooperative body for fundamental and human rights actors. The Delegation deals with far-reaching and significant matters of fundamental and human rights and approves the Centre’s plan of action and annual report. The Delegation is chaired by the Director of the Human Rights Centre and has 20–40 members who serve terms of four years.

On 27 and 28 March, Commissioner for Human Rights Marcin Wiącek attended a high-level conference for ombudspersons and national human rights institutions (NHRIs), co-organised by the Council of Europe and the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, in Strasbourg. Maciej Kruk, Director of the Department for Executive Operations and International Cooperation, also took part in the event.
Among the topics discussed were the current challenges related to the rule of law, the role of human rights institutions in upholding it, and the threats and opportunities related to the provision of public services in the digital age. In this context, the main principles of the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence were presented.
The conference was also an opportunity to exchange views on the Principles on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution (‘the Venice Principles’), problems related to the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, and platforms for cooperation between national institutions and the Council of Europe.

Herr K. aus Wien-Donaustadt wollte seinem Vater helfen, dessen Parkpickerl zurückzugeben, nachdem dieser auch sein Auto schon abgemeldet hatte. Herr K. beantragte daher online die Rückerstattung, gab alle Daten inklusive dem Kfz-Kennzeichen seines Vaters an und schrieb in das Feld „Vorname“ versehentlich seinen eigenen Namen. Die Stadt Wien vergütete daraufhin nicht das Parkpickerl des Vaters, sondern das des Sohnes. Sie begründete dies mit einem Telefonat des zuständigen Sachbearbeiters, welches dieser mit Herrn K. geführt und in einem Aktenvermerk festgehalten hätte, und stellte Herrn K. eine Bearbeitungsgebühr von 50,- Euro in Rechnung. Herr K. bestritt jedoch, je in dieser Angelegenheit mit einem Sachbearbeiter telefoniert zu haben, und beschwerte sich bei der Volksanwaltschaft.

Die Volksanwaltschaft wandte sich an den Wiener Bürgermeister und ersuchte diesen um eine Stellungnahme, auf welcher gesetzlichen Grundlage der erwähnte Sachbearbeiter vorgegangen wäre; die Bundesabgabenordnung (BAO) sehe für die Änderung von Vorbringen nämlich nur die schriftliche Form vor. Auch einen Nachweis, wann genau das besagte Telefonat geführt worden sei, sollte die Stadt Wien schicken.

Die Stadt Wien berief sich in ihrer Vorgehensweise auf das Allgemeine Verwaltungsgesetz (AVG). Diese sei kundenfreundlich gewesen, da sich im Falle einer schriftlichen Aufforderung an Herrn K. die Rücküberweisung zu seinem Nachteil verschoben hätte.

Die Volksanwaltschaft stellte fest, dass im Fall einer Rückerstattung der Parkometerabgabe jedenfalls die BAO anzuwenden sei. Laut Erkenntnis des Verwaltungsgerichtshofs sei das AVG auch nicht subsidiär anzuwenden. Außerdem hätte die Abgabenbehörde Stadt Wien von Herrn K. eine Vollmacht des Vaters verlangen müssen, was verabsäumt worden war. „Die Stadt Wien sagte der Volksanwaltschaft zu, Herrn K. die von ihm bezahlten 50,- Euro Bearbeitungsgebühr für die Korrektur des falsch rückerstatteten Parkpickerls zurückzuüberweisen und ihre Mitarbeiter, die im Bereich der Parkraumbewirtschaftung mit Abgabenangelegenheiten befasst sind, hinsichtlich der betreffenden Bestimmungen der BAO zu schulen“, zeigte sich Volksanwältin Elisabeth Schwetz über den Ausgang zufrieden.

El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha mantenido este miércoles un encuentro de carácter institucional con el Síndic de Greuges de la Comunitat Valenciana, Ángel Luna. Ambos han instado a las administraciones estatal y autonómica a que colaboren y trabajen de manera coordinada para superar los estragos causados por la DANA del pasado 29 de octubre.

Tras analizar la respuesta que han dado las diferentes administraciones a la catástrofe, Gabilondo y Luna ha acordado compartir y coordinar las actuaciones de supervisión para velar por la defensa y garantía de los derechos de la ciudadanía afectada.

Durante el encuentro, celebrado en la Sindicatura de Greuges en Alicante, Ángel Gabilondo ha destacado la colaboración y coordinación que mantienen las dos instituciones y ha apelado a las administraciones estatal y autonómica, a que trabajen también coordinadamente “en toda su dimensión”. “En el Estado de las Autonomías es muy importante que la Administración General del Estado, el Gobierno de España, y la CCAA, la Generalitat Valenciana, impulsen todos los mecanismos de coordinación y cooperación que son necesarios y que ello sea percibido por la sociedad”, ha afirmado.

Asimismo, ha apuntado que “nuestra supervisión de la recuperación empieza en primer lugar por decir que hay que impulsar todos los mecanismos y todos los procesos señalados por la ley”. Por ello, ha anunciado que la institución que preside va a iniciar una actuación de oficio “para preguntar a las administraciones estatal y autonómica si hay alguna iniciativa en torno a la creación de una comisión de coordinación, tal y como establece la normativa aprobada al respecto”.