UK and 23 other OSCE members launch probe into Georgia over rights concerns

Britain, Canada, Germany and 21 other OSCE members on Thursday said they would launch an expert mission to examine the deteriorating human rights situation in Georgia, amid concerns in Europe of democratic backsliding in the EU candidate country, Report informs via Reuters.

In a joint statement, the countries said that in December 2024, 38 participating states invoked the OSCE's Vienna Mechanism to express concern about developments in Georgia and to request further information from the authorities.

The statement, published on the British government's website, said their concerns over the authorities' implementation of international human rights obligations had increased.

It lists restrictions on freedom of expression, legislative reforms constricting civil society and legal actions against opposition groups among areas of concern.

The South Caucasus country secured EU candidate status in December 2023, but Brussels has accused Georgia of "serious democratic backsliding" and said in November it was now considered a candidate nation "in name only".