DISCRIMINATION July and one in October – were sentenced to WOMEN’S RIGHTS death for murder. Violence against women persisted. In July, the minister of women, children and social welfare stated that the Network against GEORGIA Gender-based Violence had recorded 251 cases of gender-based violence, 240 of these Georgia against women, over the last 12 months. Head of state: Salome Zurabishvili Women remained under-represented in Head of government: Irakli Garibashvili public offices. According to UN Women, as of February 2021 only 8.6% of the parliament’s Members of the opposition, media critical seats were held by women. of the government and NGOs were attacked, LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS intimidated and wiretapped amid an LGBTI people still lived under the threat of atmosphere of impunity. Concerns persisted oppressive laws, which created an unsafe over a lack of judicial independence, environment. Section 144 of the Criminal selective justice and politically motivated Code provided for a 14-year prison sentence prosecution of government opponents. for anyone who has “carnal knowledge of any Construction of the controversial person against the order of nature […] or Namakhvani hydropower plant was halted permits any person to have carnal knowledge following protests. Labour rights abuses and of him or her against the natural order.” violations were widespread and amplified by Section 147 criminalized an “act of gross Covid-19 related restrictions. Violations in indecency” between two people of the same the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and sex with five years in prison. Section 144A South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region included created the crime of “aggravated restrictions on freedom of movement and homosexuality” for “serial offenders” and torture and other ill-treatment. those living with HIV, punishable by life BACKGROUND imprisonment. TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT The political crisis continued. In July, the ruling party withdrew from an April deal The Prevention and Prohibition of Torture bill brokered by the EU to resolve a stand-off with was still pending at the National Assembly. the opposition. The deal had proposed As such, at the end of the year there were no electoral and judicial reforms and to address national laws defining torture and perceptions of politicized justice. establishing it as an offence. The ruling party won local elections in DEATH PENALTY October amidst widespread reports of electoral irregularities. The opposition called Despite the establishment of an official for renewed protests from November against moratorium on executions, and the country’s the election results and the arrest of Georgia’s accession to the Second Optional Protocol to former president Mikheil Saakashvili. the ICCPR aiming at the abolition of the The ruling party increasingly undermined death penalty, courts continued to hand the independence of the institutions ensuring down death sentences. On 14 July, the High human rights and government accountability. Court in Banjul found Yankuba Touray, In December, parliament hastily former junta member and ally of former disestablished the State Inspector’s Service, president Yahya Jammeh, guilty of the which investigated police abuses, and passed murder of Ousman Koro Ceesay, former amendments undermining judicial minister of finance. He was sentenced to independence. death by hanging. Two other men – one in In September, the government backtracked on its commitment to end politicized Amnesty International Report 2021/22 172