HRF Highlights Human Rights Abuses in Georgia and Rwanda at UN Review

NEW YORK (July 9, 2025) — Last week, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted formal contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Georgia and Rwanda, bringing urgent attention to deteriorating human rights conditions in both countries. 

“In both Georgia and Rwanda, we are witnessing an alarming retreat from democratic norms and international human rights standards,” HRF Chief Advocacy Officer Roberto González said. “Despite their distinct histories, both regimes have weaponized state institutions to entrench authoritarian control. This includes the suppression of dissent, erosion of civil liberties, and systemic violation of fundamental rights — an escalating trend that calls for urgent international scrutiny and accountability.” 

In its submission on Georgia, HRF highlighted the sharp decline in democratic governance, marked by repressive legislation and escalating crackdowns on the opposition. Since the last UPR cycle, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) coalition has increased its authoritarian trajectory, targeting pro-democracy activists through intimidation, excessive use of force and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, and denial of due process. The October 2024 parliamentary elections were marred by widespread irregularities, including voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, vote buying, and abuse of state resources. 

HRF called on the Georgian government to ensure that activists, journalists, and opposition groups can operate safely by guaranteeing freedoms of assembly, expression, and association, and to end the torture and ill-treatment of demonstrators and detainees. 

In its submission on Rwanda, HRF highlighted the regime’s systematic use of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance to suppress dissent both domestically and abroad. Ongoing intimidation and judicial harassment of opposition politicians and independent journalists severely undermine freedom of expression and political pluralism. HRF also drew attention to the Kagame regime’s attempts to obscure its human rights abuses through “reputation laundering” — such as investing in global sports and tourism campaigns — while continuing to ignore serious allegations of political violence, torture, and mistreatment of detainees. 

HRF urged the regime to take immediate steps to uphold freedoms of expression, association, and the press; ensure due process protections; and engage transparently with international human rights mechanisms rather than deflect accountability.

Read the individual submission for Georgia here.

Read the individual submission for Rwanda here.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.

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