U.S. President George W. Bush should urge Georgia’s new president to put human rights at the core of his reform agenda, including his anticorruption drive, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a briefing paper released today.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who arrived in the United States on February 23, will meet with his American counterpart at the White House on February 25.
“The United States strongly backed the reform movement at the end of the Shevardnadze era,” said Rachel Denber, acting executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division.
“Now that the reformists are in power, the Bush administration should make sure they deliver on human rights and real reform.”
The 14-page briefing paper flags several human rights concerns that have emerged since Georgia’s new government came to power in January, and outlines longstanding human rights problems in the country.
Human Rights Watch made a series of recommendations to the new Georgian government and the international community on improving the country’s poor human rights record.
“Bush should tell President Saakashvili that continued U.S. aid to Georgia will depend on respect for human rights,” said Denber. “Although the new government enjoys huge support at home and abroad, there are worrying trends that need to be nipped in the bud.”
“Measures against corruption are urgently needed, but without respect for human rights and rule of law, the government cannot expect its reforms to be ultimately successful,” Denber added.