How and why Georgia was humiliated in Strasbourg and "expelled" from PACE

On Wednesday evening, after three days of heated debates, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) sanctioned the Georgian delegation for the abuses committed by the current Georgian government, including election fraud, suppression of protests and arbitrary arrests.

The adopted decision was a compromise though.

Pro-government Georgian MPs were allowed to continue working in PACE, but under sanctions and with significantly restricted rights.

The head of Georgia’s parliamentary delegation, Tea Tsulukiani, announced the country’s "withdrawal from PACE." Georgia, however, still plans to cooperate with the Council of Europe.

Read more about how Georgia was sanctioned in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda' editor (from Strasbourg) – The release of political prisoners and new elections in Georgia: pros and cons of PACE’s decision.

PACE has no influence over trade or financial services, so its leverage is limited to political pressure.

The goal of the sanctions against Georgia is to ensure that the sanctioned state experiences restrictions on its rights or even humiliation.

The measures imposed on Georgia effectively achieve this. To make it short, Georgian representatives are now only allowed to speak at sessions, vote (except on decisions regarding Georgia), and communicate with colleagues.

These extensive restrictions are indeed humiliating.

In recent history, similar sanctions were applied only to Russia in 2014-15, and back then, the Russian delegation walked out of PACE in protest each time.

Another crucial aspect of the decision is the recognition that Georgia has political prisoners. PACE has issued a clear demand: all political prisoners must be released by the April 2025 session.

But the most significant part of the decision is PACE’s demand for new parliamentary elections.

PACE has determined that "the only way out of Georgia’s political deadlock and breach of trust between the authorities and civil society can be overcome only through genuinely democratic parliamentary elections… under strict international monitoring."

This means that holding new elections is seen as the only viable path forward for Georgia.

Moreover, PACE has called for a rapid start to the process. Within three months, before April, formal steps toward organising elections must begin. This will serve as a key indicator for PACE in deciding Georgia’s fate during the April session.

Will Georgia comply? The answer is clear: no.

It’s also important to recognise the potential negative consequences of PACE’s decision.

By temporarily recognising the Georgian delegation’s authority, despite the imposed restrictions, PACE has indirectly legitimised the new Georgian parliament.

This is problematic because the current Georgian parliament does not include any opposition parties that citizens voted for. Additionally, the ruling party took one of the seats in the PACE delegation that was originally reserved for the opposition.

As a result, PACE’s decision has helped the new Georgian parliament break through international isolation and significantly weakened any future challenges to its legitimacy.

Georgia has announced its withdrawal from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe but intends to continue cooperation with the Council of Europe.