Georgia: FIDH Vice President Ucha Nanuashvili summoned and interrogated over cooperation with OSCE

The Observatory has been informed about the judicial harassment of administrative harassment of Mr Ucha Nanuashvili, former Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia, founder of the Democracy Research Institute (DRI) and the Human Rights Center (HRC), and Vice President of FIDH.

On 18 March 2026, Ucha Nanuashvili was questioned as a witness before a magistrate judge at the Tbilisi City Court over his communication with OSCE rapporteur Professor Patrycja Grzebyk, appointed to prepare a report on the human rights situation in Georgia under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism. The hearing was conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into assisting “foreign organisations and organisations under foreign control in hostile activities” under Article 319 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which foresees between five and 15 years of imprisonment.

After the interrogation, Mr. Nanuashvili was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, preventing him from revealing the content of the interrogation. He further denounced the proceedings as completely unfounded.

On 16 March 2026, Mr. Nanuashvili was contacted by an investigator from Georgia’s State Security Service, who informed him of the summons in relation to this communication. Mr. Nanuashvili was given the choice to be questioned at the State Security Service premises on 17 March or by a magistrate judge on the following day.

This interrogation follows the publication, on 12 March 2026, of a report by the OSCE rapporteur highlighting a “marked democratic backsliding” in Georgia since spring 2024, including concerns over restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, alleged ill-treatment of protesters, restrictive legislation and politically motivated detentions. Instead of addressing these serious allegations, the Georgian authorities appear now to be targeting those who contributed to documenting them. Previously, on 29 January 2026, 23 OSCE participating States had invoked the Moscow Mechanism “to assess Georgia’s implementation of its OSCE commitments, with a particular focus on developments since spring 2024.”

The summons also comes amid a hostile narrative by Georgian officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who dismissed the OSCE report as “pre-written” and accused its author of political bias. Prior to the summons, pro-government media outlets circulated statements referring to Mr Nanuashvili’s potential involvement in the OSCE process, which may have contributed to the decision to summon him.

The Observatory recalls that this development is part of an escalating human rights crisis and increasing pressure on civil society in Georgia, including the judicial harassment of human rights defenders involved in documenting violations, restrictions on foreign funding, and the shrinking space for independent organisations and journalists. As the OSCE report underscores, these measures considerably undermine the legitimate work of human rights defenders and endanger their safety.

The Observatory expresses its deep concern that the summoning of Mr Nanuashvili constitutes an act of intimidation aimed at sanctioning his legitimate human rights activities and discouraging him from continuing his work freely and safely.

The Observatory calls on the Georgian authorities to end all acts of harassment and intimidation against Ucha Nanuashvili, and to ensure that no sanctions or criminal proceedings are initiated against any human right defenders in Georgia for their cooperation with international human rights mechanisms.

The Observatory recalls that, as an OSCE participating State and a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Georgia must guarantee the right to freedom of expression, as enshrined in Article 19 of the ICCPR and Article 10 of the ECHR.