Disability Community Addresses International Human Rights Defenders About Deteriorating Rights
Georgian human rights organizations, individual activists, and organizations of persons with disabilities are addressing the international community about the deterioration of their rights in the country amid protests, urging a response, including by closely monitoring the situation, expressing concern, and providing assistance.
21.04.2025
The letter, signed by some 20 organizations and about the same number of individuals, focuses on the situation of people with disabilities in Georgia, who they say have been “disproportionately affected by government repression” in the current protests.
The disability people have been subjected to police violence during the ongoing protests, the letter says, mentioning the case of Gia Jvarsheishvili, an activist for the rights of the blind and visually impaired, who the letter says was “severely beaten, suffered injuries, and was nonetheless charged by the judiciary.”
The letter notes that at least two deaf people were beaten by police at the main protest site, and another activist, Tatia Datashvili, received a verbal threat on social media. According to the letter, the cases have not been investigated.
The hard-of-hearing also faced “severe repression” during the protests, the letter adds. Two – Levan Macharadze and Nodar Kiknadze – were charged for allegedly blocking the road. In one case, a judge issued only a verbal warning, but another was fined GEL 5,000 (about USD 1,800). Tornike Mskhiladze, a man with severe hearing loss and an oncology patient, was subjected to unlawful police action when he was stopped by police without cause, had his vehicle searched, and was forcibly detained after attempting to document the encounter. Another man, Dato Abuladze, with hearing loss, was assaulted by police during the protests and had his personal belongings, including his phone, stolen by the same officers.
The parents of persons with disabilities are also “victims of repression,” the letter says, referring to Nino Kalandia, a mother who has been fined more than 10 times, amounting to more than GEL 50,000. “In Georgia, many parents of persons with disabilities are unable to work due to their caregiving responsibilities, making such fines particularly devastating,” the letter says.
The disability persons have also experienced alleged political dismissals from the civil service. According to the letter, Giga Sopromadze, an advisor to the Tbilisi Mayor’s Office, and Nana Bregvadze, a receptionist, were dismissed after signing the public statement of civil servants criticizing the ruling party’s departure from the EU path.
Esma Gumberidze, a blind activist attending a demonstration in Dmanisi, a city outside Tbilisi, was denied entry to the local city hall office during working hours when she tried to request public information. The Ombudsman’s office was told that she was not allowed in because she was dressed like a protester, carrying EU and Georgian flags.
The letter states that the participation of disabled people in protests is being “increasingly suppressed,” with CSOs being excluded from public decision-making. Since last October, Tbilisi City Hall has also stopped responding to accessibility concerns raised by disabled activists on social media, which the letter says is a “direct consequence” of these activists’ participation in protests.
In addition, the disability service providers would no longer have access to state buildings and spaces, which were previously provided free of charge, the Tbilisi city authorities announced.
Added to this is the intimidation and discrediting of civil society, including organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). The letter refers to reports that local authorities and beneficiaries, especially in the regions, are refraining from cooperating with OPDs, citing “government pressure” as the reason.
The signatories call upon the international community to closely monitor the situation of persons with disabilities in Georgia, to express concern about the rapid deterioration of human rights protection in the country, to support the Georgian OPDs in their efforts to inform the international public, including through the mass media, and to continue their work in Georgia; to urge international organizations, including the UN and its special procedures, the EU, the CoE and Georgia’s strategic partners to investigate and respond to the current situation.
