UK Foreign Office: Increased Russian Interference Worsens Rights Situation in Abkhazia, Tskhinvali

The British Foreign Office said in its annual human rights report that in Georgia’s Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, “increased Russian interference led to a sharp deterioration in the human rights situation.”

Human Rights and Democracy Report 2019 released on July 16 highlighted that “continued closure of the majority of crossing points along the Administrative Boundary Line raised tensions and resulted in frequent detentions and severe restrictions on freedom of movement, affecting livelihoods, education, and access to healthcare.”

It maintained that “discrimination against ethnic Georgians and intimidation of members of civil society continued” in the both regions.

“The UK supported Georgian resolutions at the UN General Assembly on internally displaced persons and at the UN Human Rights Council requesting access for the Office of the UN High Representative for Human Rights,” the report added.

The annual report reviews the activity in 2019 by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its diplomatic network “to defend human rights and promote democracy worldwide.”

Also read:

• Georgia: Russian Forces Shoot, Detain Georgian Citizen
• Abkhaz Ombudsperson Speaks of Rights Abuses of Gali Georgians
• Patient from Akhalgori Dies due to Delayed Transfer to Hospital
• Georgian CSOs Address Intl Community over ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ in Occupied Akhalgori District

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