WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02), Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09), Commissioner Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09), Commissioner Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33), and Executive Branch Commissioner Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Dafna H. Rand issued the following statement ahead of Georgia’s parliamentary elections on October 26th:
“Over the past several decades, the people of Georgia have demonstrated their commitment to democracy and the rule of law. The Georgian people deserve a government that respects their right to elect their own leaders democratically, and the Georgian government must honor their obligations to their country and citizens by holding free and fair elections, monitored by independent election observers, allowing for political opposition, as it has done for years. The government’s authoritarian trajectory imperils Georgia’s democratic future and its people’s deep-seated Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”
In September, the State Department announced a broad array of accountability measures on a number of Georgian government officials and others who have undermined Georgia’s democracy and the human rights of the Georgian people. In May, U.S. Helsinki Commission House leadership introduced the MEGOBARI Act, bipartisan legislation designed to bolster democratic practices, human rights, and the rule of law in Georgia, reaffirming the United States’ commitment to supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration and countering the influence of authoritarian regimes, particularly Russia. The bill has passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a bipartisan basis and awaits passage in the House of Representatives.
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