The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution 2664 on June 24, 2026, by 83 votes to 5, with 4 abstentions. Titled “the functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia,” the non-binding text warns that the Georgian Dream government’s crackdown is pushing the country toward a one-party dictatorship incompatible with Council of Europe membership. It demands Tbilisi withdraw its Constitutional Court action against opposition parties, repeal a slate of recent laws, and end politically motivated prosecutions of opposition figures. Tbilisi’s response came within hours, with Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili dismissing the text as Soviet-minded and Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili calling it a political tool aimed at her government. The vote lands twelve months after Georgia froze its own participation in the Assembly, a move triggered by the disputed October 2024 parliamentary elections.
The Vote and the Warning
The vote on June 24 closed a debate that had been brewing in Strasbourg for months. The Monitoring Committee approved its draft on May 21, then forwarded it to the full Assembly. The Assembly took up the text in a debate that produced ten amendments, of which only part survived.
The Assembly’s language stops short of suspending Georgia but draws a sharp institutional line. The full text of the Strasbourg vote records that “the continuing breakdown of democracy in Georgia and the lack of any response to the recommendations of the Assembly to address this raise serious doubts about the authorities’ willingness to abide by Georgia’s membership obligations and accession commitments to the Council of Europe.” PACE calls the prosecution of opposition politicians on politically motivated and trumped-up charges unacceptable. The text warns that banning opposition parties would “effectively establish a one-party dictatorship in Georgia, which violates essential democratic principles and is incompatible with Council of Europe membership.”
What Resolution 2664 Demands
The resolution is a list of demands, not a sanction. It gives Georgia a sequence of specific steps to take, framed as responses to “urgent recommendations” PACE has been issuing for years and that, by the Assembly’s own account, the Georgian authorities have not addressed. The text opens with a call to withdraw the Constitutional Court action aimed at banning opposition parties and end what PACE calls the “unfair and politically motivated criminal prosecution” of opposition leaders.
The core of the package is the legal reversal. The Assembly calls on Tbilisi to fully repeal amendments to the Criminal Code, the Law on Political Associations of Citizens, and the Code of Administrative Offenses. It also recommends the entire Code of Administrative Offenses be replaced with a new law drafted in consultation with the Council of Europe. Six specific asks run through the resolution’s operative paragraphs, with the Foreign Influence Transparency Law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (GEOFARA), and amendments to the Law on Grants among the targets struck down “fully and unconditionally.”
- Withdraw the Constitutional Court application aimed at banning opposition parties.
- End politically motivated criminal prosecutions of opposition leaders, journalists, and civic activists.
- Fully repeal the Foreign Influence Transparency Law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (GEOFARA), and recent amendments to the Law on Grants.
- Replace the Code of Administrative Offenses with a new law drafted in cooperation with the Council of Europe.
- Establish a transparent, independent mechanism to govern the privatization of university assets tied to the “One City, One Faculty” education reform.
- Conduct credible, independent investigations into police violence and the alleged use of prohibited chemical agents during the late-2024 protest dispersals.
The Two Jailed Opposition Leaders
The resolution names two of the jailed opposition figures by name. Nika Melia, co-founder of the Ahali party, and Elene Khoshtaria, leader of Droa, are both currently imprisoned in Georgia. The Assembly treats the pair as evidence of a broader pattern, writing that politically motivated prosecutions “raise the spectre of the existence of political prisoners” in the country. Both face additional accusations in what OC Media describes as an ongoing “sabotage” case. PACE calls the charges against them “clearly trumped-up.”
PACE also calls for an immediate end to restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, including “repressive legislation and the abuse of politically motivated legal proceedings” against NGOs, independent media, opposition figures, and individual protesters. The Assembly’s previous recommendation to release “all political prisoners” has not been acted on, and the new resolution restates it. PACE says it “regrets that to date no use has been made” of the ECHR mechanisms available against Georgia.
On universities, the Assembly raises concerns over Georgia’s recent education reform and pushes for “a transparent and independent mechanism to govern the privatization of any university assets” made surplus by Tbilisi’s One City, One Faculty program. The Assembly also flags the shrinking space for civil society organizations and the “continued assault” on NGOs, their leadership, and independent media. It calls for full implementation of general measures prescribed in three European Court of Human Rights judgments against Georgia. The text repeats demands PACE has placed on Georgia in previous monitoring resolutions.
The resolution also calls on Tbilisi to conduct “credible, independent and effective investigations” into police violence and the alleged use of prohibited chemical agents during the late-2024 dispersal of protests in Tbilisi. It wants the same standard applied to “torture and ill-treatment of detained protesters” during demonstrations. The Assembly’s repeated calls for such investigations have produced no published results, the resolution notes.
The Sadigov Deportation and Other Amendments
The most prominent adopted amendment deals with a journalist who is not Georgian. PACE included language condemning “the recent act of transnational repression” against Afgan Sadigov, an independent Azerbaijani journalist deported from Tbilisi on April 5, 2026, despite an interim measure from the European Court of Human Rights blocking his transfer. Sadigov was arrested in Baku after the deportation. The Assembly’s call for ECHR interstate applications closes the resolution.
Other amendments tabled during the debate raised issues that go beyond the resolution’s main text. According to JAMnews, the rejected or trimmed proposals would have pushed PACE to address the deteriorating health of Khoshtaria in prison, the call to transfer former President Mikheil Saakashvili abroad for medical treatment, allegations Georgia has been used to help circumvent sanctions on Russia, and Russia’s military activity in the Black Sea, including reports of plans to build a Russian naval base in Ochamchire, in the separatist region of Abkhazia. Of the ten amendments tabled, only part were adopted. Tbilisi is also being asked to fully implement general measures in three European Court of Human Rights cases, Tsaava and Others v. Georgia, Mekvabishvili v. Georgia, and Makharashvili and Others v. Georgia, alongside the 77 ECHR judgments still pending against Georgia. The Assembly notes that “no use to date has been made of these mechanisms” against Georgia.
The new resolution leaves the Assembly’s monitoring procedure open as the legal tool of choice for now. Tbilisi will be measured against the demands set out in Resolution 2664 when PACE’s next monitoring cycle begins.
- 83 votes in favor
- 5 votes against
- 4 abstentions
- 77 ECHR judgments pending execution against Georgia
- 10 amendments tabled, only part adopted
Tbilisi Rejects Resolution 2664 as Soviet-Minded
The Soviet-minded resolutions are worth less to us than the paper they are printed on.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, in remarks to reporters in Tbilisi on the day of the vote, June 24, 2026. Papuashvili’s full dismissal as Soviet-minded extends a line the Georgian Dream has run against European institutions since the disputed 2024 elections. The “Soviet” framing has been a fixture of the party’s messaging.
Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili sharpened the framing in remarks to journalists before the vote. She called the draft “another attempt to use international organizations and institutions for political purposes,” according to the resolution’s full text and Tbilisi’s response. Bochorishvili named three bodies she said were coordinating the criticism: the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE. She singled out the Moscow Mechanism as the trend’s clearest example. Tbilisi considers the practice “completely unacceptable,” she said, because it “undermines trust in international institutions.”
How Georgia Got Here
The Assembly’s June 24 vote lands at the end of an eighteen-month sequence that began with Georgia’s disputed October 2024 parliamentary elections. Critics of Georgian Dream refused to recognize the results, citing serious irregularities. European Council President Charles Michel raised concerns about possible election fraud at the European Political Union Summit, adding to international pressure on Tbilisi. In January 2025, Georgia froze its participation in PACE after the body conditionally ratified the credentials of the Georgian delegation on the understanding that new parliamentary elections would be called and “all political prisoners” released.
The Georgian Dream delegation has remained suspended since that winter session. PACE Resolution 2585 (2025), adopted at the same session, set out the conditional terms on substantive grounds. The Monitoring Committee’s draft of Resolution 2664, approved on May 21, 2026, became the latest test of whether Tbilisi would honor its membership obligations.
Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili had framed the Monitoring Committee’s draft as a political tool aimed at Tbilisi before the June vote. She named three bodies she said were coordinating the criticism: the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE. The OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism was invoked against Georgia for the first time on January 29, 2026, by twenty-three participating states including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Ukraine, and the Baltic and Nordic countries. The sole rapporteur, Professor Patrycja Grzebyk, published her findings in March 2026, concluding in some cases that the treatment of detainees “has arguably reached the threshold of torture.” PACE Resolution 2664 formally endorses those findings.
Tbilisi’s response so far has been rhetorical, with no sign of policy reversal. Georgian Dream officials have framed PACE, the OSCE, and the European Parliament as part of a coordinated campaign aimed at Georgia. PACE says it “regrets that to date, no use has been made” of the Article 52 and Article 33 mechanisms it is now invoking against Tbilisi.
- October 2024: Disputed parliamentary elections held in Georgia; opposition refuses to recognize results.
- January 2025: PACE conditionally ratifies Georgian delegation’s credentials; Georgia freezes its participation.
- January 29, 2026: Twenty-three OSCE participating states invoke the Moscow Mechanism against Georgia.
- March 2026: OSCE Moscow Mechanism report by rapporteur Patrycja Grzebyk published.
- May 21, 2026: PACE Monitoring Committee approves draft Resolution 2664.
- June 24, 2026: PACE adopts Resolution 2664 by 83 votes to 5.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PACE Resolution 2664 actually do?
Resolution 2664, titled “the functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia,” is a PACE monitoring resolution adopted by 83 votes to 5 on June 24, 2026. It calls on Georgia to withdraw its Constitutional Court action against opposition parties, repeal a slate of laws the Assembly labels repressive, replace the Code of Administrative Offenses, end politically motivated prosecutions, and launch an inclusive political dialogue. The resolution formally endorses the OSCE Moscow Mechanism report and invites Council of Europe member states to consider invoking ECHR mechanisms against Tbilisi for the first time.
Who are the two opposition leaders PACE named in the resolution?
The text singles out two imprisoned opposition figures by name: Ahali co-founder Nika Melia and Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria. Both are imprisoned in Georgia and face additional accusations in an ongoing “sabotage” case. PACE describes the charges against them as “clearly trumped-up” and politically motivated. The resolution also raises Khoshtaria’s deteriorating prison health and, in a separate tabled amendment, the case of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose medical transfer abroad has been requested.
How did the Georgian government respond to Resolution 2664?
Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili dismissed the text as “Soviet-minded” and worth less than the paper it was printed on. Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili had earlier called the draft a “political tool” aimed at Tbilisi, naming the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE as bodies coordinating what she described as a critical campaign. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze had previously dismissed the OSCE Moscow Mechanism report on which Resolution 2664 is partly built.
Why is Georgia still under PACE monitoring?
Georgia is one of ten Council of Europe member states still on PACE’s monitoring list. The Assembly conditionally ratified the Georgian delegation’s credentials in 2025 on the understanding that new parliamentary elections would be called and “all political prisoners” released. The Georgian Dream delegation has been suspended since that session, a freeze triggered by the disputed October 2024 parliamentary elections, which the opposition refused to recognize.
What is the OSCE Moscow Mechanism?
The Moscow Mechanism is an OSCE tool allowing a group of participating states to send independent experts to assess a country’s human dimension commitments. Twenty-three states, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Ukraine, and the Baltic and Nordic countries, invoked it against Georgia on January 29, 2026. The sole rapporteur, Professor Patrycja Grzebyk, found a pattern of “violence and other abuses against protesters, political opponents and journalists” and concluded in some cases that the treatment of detainees “has arguably reached the threshold of torture.” Resolution 2664 endorses her findings and asks Tbilisi to fully implement the recommendations.
