The PACE Monitoring Committee proposes that the Assembly ratify the credentials of the Georgian delegation, but with conditions, which include the scheduling of new elections and the release of political prisoners. In this case, the ratification decision will be subject to reconsideration at PACE’s April 20-25 session, APA reports citing Civil.ge.
The plenary is to decide on the ratification of the credentials of the Georgian delegation tomorrow, January 29.
The credentials of the Georgian delegation were challenged on January 27, the opening day of the PACE winter session. The challenge was made on substantive grounds and the PACE Monitoring Committee was referred to draft a resolution on the challenge.
The draft resolution states that post-election developments in Georgia, “including violations of freedom of assembly and expression and the crackdown on the opposition and civil society,” contradict the country’s membership obligations to the Council of Europe.
“The Assembly therefore needs clear assurances from the authorities that they are genuinely committed to reversing the democratic backsliding and fulfilling their membership obligations,” the draft resolution adds, proposing two options.
As a first option, the Committee’s draft resolution proposes to ratify the credentials of the Georgian delegation “as a signal of its own openness to maintaining dialogue,” but adds that the Assembly will reconsider the credentials at its next session in April, and sets conditions for the ratification. The draft resolution insists that Georgian authorities should “create an electoral environment that is conducive to genuinely democratic new elections” for announcement. It also insists on the release of “all political prisoners,” an end to police brutality, and an investigation of human rights abuses.
At the same time, the Committee proposes to deprive the members of the delegation of several rights “as a clear sign of its condemnation of the police brutality and other human rights abuses, which so far have not been addressed by the authorities.” The suspended rights will include the right to be a full member of PACE committees, including election monitoring committees, and to be appointed as a rapporteur.
