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Tuesday, 30 September, 2025
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Georgia Receives the Highest Rating this Year in the Fight against Trafficking

On September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which once again placed Georgia in the highest position for its efforts to combat human trafficking. Georgia has maintained this top position—known as the “first tier”—for the 10th consecutive year, ranking among just 33 countries worldwide out of 188 assessed.

Georgia remains the only country in the region, and the only EU candidate state, to hold this distinction. Notably, 11 EU member states failed to qualify for the first tier this year.

Georgia pays significant attention to the effective fight against human trafficking, which is also an important part of Georgia’s EU integration process and creates a safe and reliable environment in the country and the region in terms of combating transnational organized crime.

The report commends Georgia for fully meeting international standards in the fight against human trafficking. It highlights the country’s consistent, coordinated, and sustainable measures aimed at prevention, detection, prosecution of offenders, and protection of victims. These efforts not only strengthen national security but also contribute significantly to Georgia’s EU integration process and regional stability in countering transnational organized crime.

Georgia’s leading position reflects the effective work of the Interagency Coordination Council for Countering Trafficking in Persons, chaired by the Minister of Justice of Georgia. The Council brings together representatives of all relevant state agencies, the Public Defender’s Office, and partner organizations.

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Strasbourg Court Declares Complaints on Independence and Impartiality of Supreme Court Judges of Georgia Inadmissible

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld the legal position presented by Georgia’s Ministry of Justice and, based on the submitted evidence, declared the complaints in Pirtskhalava and Y v. Georgia and Goginashvili v. Georgia inadmissible.

In these applications, the complainants alleged that one of the judges of the Supreme Court who examined their cases was biased. Additionally, the applicants in Pirtskhalava and Y claimed that Judge Sh.T. had not been appointed in accordance with the law.

The ECHR accepted the arguments of the Ministry of Justice and declared all three complaints regarding judicial impartiality inadmissible. In its decision, the Strasbourg Court reviewed the reforms undertaken by the Georgian authorities since 2012 to improve the justice system. In particular, it highlighted reforms such as: lifetime judicial appointments, improvements in the procedures for the appointment and promotion of judges, strengthening the role and functional independence of the High Council of Justice, and constitutional amendments that further refined the selection and appointment procedures for Supreme Court judges.

It is worth noting that the ongoing legal proceedings against Irakli Pirtskhalava concern the criminal case related to the murder of Buta Robakidze. Pirtskhalava additionally alleged that his criminal trial had been unfair, arguing that he had not been given the opportunity to question his former co-defendants and other witnesses or effectively challenge the evidence. The Strasbourg Court found no indication of a violation of his right to a fair trial and therefore declared his additional complaints inadmissible as manifestly ill-founded.