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            Georgia Crackdown Worrisome, European Rights Group Says

   by Reuters

   The Council of Europe told Georgia on Tuesday to improve its justice
   system, saying it was worried about allegations that authorities have
   been abusing the law to conduct a politically motivated crackdown on
   the opposition.

   The criticism from the pan-European human rights body comes at a
   sensitive time for Georgia, which has sought to move closer to NATO and
   the European Union in the wake of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's
   Crimea in 2014.

   Georgia fought and lost a brief war with Russia in 2008 that ended with
   Moscow tightening its control over two breakaway Georgian regions, and
   it is keen to court the West as a potential counterbalance to Russian
   influence.

   Nils Muiznieks, human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe,
   said in a report that Georgia had made some progress in overhauling its
   justice system, but that long-standing structural problems needed
   serious attention, particularly with a view to upholding the
   independence of the judiciary.

   "The commissioner is concerned about allegations of politically
   motivated measures targeting members of the opposition, especially with
   regard to the use of pre-trial detention measures against them," he
   said.

   Dozens of former officials who served ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili,
   including a former prime minister, have been arrested on charges such
   as abuse of power and corruption since Saakashvili's government lost
   power in 2012.

   Wanted in Georgia on charges he abused his authority, Saakashvili
   currently lives in Ukraine, where he is governor of the Odessa region.

   Western countries have expressed concerns about the behavior of his
   successors in the past amid allegations from the former president's
   supporters that they were being subjected to a political witch hunt.
   The authorities deny the accusations.

   Muiznieks also urged the government to tackle intolerance toward sexual
   minorities and to ease tensions between majority and minority religious
   groups in mainly Orthodox Christian Georgia.

   The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg, France, promotes human
   rights and democracy in Europe and has 47 member states.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/georgia-crackdown-worrisome-european-
   rights-group-says/3142793.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/georgia-crackdown-worrisome-european-rights-group-says/3142793.html