On October 11, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on “Cooperation with Georgia,” calling for immediate, unrestricted access to occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions for international human rights monitors. It also requested the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to deliver updates on the resolution’s progress at future sessions and to continue providing technical assistance through the Office of the High Commissioner in Tbilisi. The resolution passed with 24 votes in favor, three against, and 20 abstentions.
The Human Rights Council reaffirmed its “commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders” and welcomed the cooperation of the Georgian Government with the UN High Commissioner’s office.
The resolution condemned the “ongoing illegal military presence of the Russian Federation” in Georgia’s occupied territories, and the attempts to “legitimize its military presence, including through the organization of illegal so-called elections by the authorities exercising effective control therein, the signing of so-called treaties and the creation of so-called joint socioeconomic spaces between the Russian Federation and [occupied] Abkhazia.”
The resolution also condemned land seizures, including in the Gagra district of Abkhazia, the transfer to Russia of the Sokhumi airport and the Bichvinta resort, as well as statements about the intention to hold a so-called referendum in the Tskhinvali region on joining the Russian Federation.
The U.N. Human Rights Council’s expressed “serious concern” over the continued installation of barbed wire fences and artificial barriers along the occupation line, which has a “negative impact on the already poor socioeconomic conditions of the conflict-affected population, their freedom of movement…” The Council highlighted serious human rights violations, including discrimination against ethnic Georgians, torture, kidnappings, illegal detentions, and restrictions on access to education and medical evacuations. It also condemned the demolition of displaced persons’ homes and the erasure of Georgian cultural heritage in these regions.
In addition, the resolution expressed “deep concern” over the killing of Tamaz Ginturi and Temur Karbaia by Russian forces, as well as over the lack of accountability for the killings of ethnic Georgians in the occupied regions, contributing to ongoing impunity. The Council also noted that internally displaced persons and refugees are still unable to return to their homes in these regions safely and with dignity. Additionally, it warned that human rights abuses in these regions pose a risk of further displacement.
Finally, the U.N. Human Rights Council voiced “serious concern” over the repeated denial of access for international and regional monitors, including U.N. human rights mechanisms, to the occupied regions. It also expressed concern about restrictions placed on international organizations and the hindering of confidence-building efforts in these regions. The Council emphasized the importance of periodic reports from the U.N. High Commissioner for an impartial assessment of the human rights situation in both areas.
The resolution:
- Demands that immediate and unimpeded access be given to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international and regional human rights mechanisms to Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia;
- Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to present to the Human Rights Council, in accordance with its resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, an oral update on the follow-up to the present resolution at its fifty-eighth session and to present a report on developments relating to and the implementation of the present resolution at its fifty-ninth session;
- Requests the High Commissioner to continue to provide technical assistance through the Office of the High Commissioner in Tbilisi.
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