With the human rights record of Georgia coming under review at the United Nations on January 26, 2026, PEN Georgia, PEN International and PEN America reiterate urgent concerns over the Georgian authorities’ systematic onslaught on fundamental rights and independent voices, including in the cultural sphere. The organizations call on the UN Human Rights Council and its Member States to provide concrete recommendations aimed at holding Georgia accountable for its human rights violations.
PEN Georgia, PEN International and PEN America have made a joint submission on Georgia as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in advance of its upcoming review by the UN Human Rights Council on January 26, 2026. As documented in PEN’s report, between 2021 and 2025, the Georgian authorities enacted a wave of repressive laws severely restricting the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Journalists, writers, artists, and activists have faced harassment, arbitrary detention, and physical violence—with complete impunity. Independent media and civil society stand on the brink of survival, while cultural institutions continue to face government interference and intimidation.
“PEN’s submission exposes the shocking speed and scale of the crackdown unleashed by the Georgian authorities during the period under review. Alarmingly, a recent BBC broadcast alleged that prohibited toxic chemicals—similar to those used in World War I—were deployed against protesters in 2024. Yet instead of launching an independent investigation, the authorities targeted experts, journalists, and others who dared testify in the documentary and are said to explore legal actions against the BBC. We urge an immediate end to the clampdown and call on UN Member States to take concrete measures to advance human rights and accountability in Georgia,” said Khatuna Tskhadadze, PEN Georgia President.
“We continue to stand with veteran journalist and Sakharov Prize laureate Mzia Amaglobeli as well as acclaimed poet and translator Zviad Ratiani, who have been repeatedly targeted on account of their dissenting views, and subsequently sentenced to prison on politically motivated grounds. We reiterate calls for their release and urge UN Member States to pay close attention to the critical role played by writers in upholding fundamental rights in Georgia,” said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
“The Georgian authorities have deliberately sought to undermine the independence of the country’s vibrant arts scene to wield control over writers’ and artists’ work and silence critical voices. Staff and leaders of national cultural institutions have been callously dismissed from their positions because of their free expression. The Georgian authorities must uphold the independence of the cultural sector and stop retaliating against free expression. UN Member States should urge Georgia to compensate and—when legally possible—reinstate unlawfully dismissed cultural workers. Cultural institutions must be free from government interference,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, Managing Director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.