Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Georgia regarding free speech, the rule of law and its obligations as a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights in its policing of protest.

We remain severely concerned by democratic backsliding in Georgia, including restrictions on free speech and policing of protests. The Minister of State for Europe and North America raised these issues directly with Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Botchorishvili on 16 October and with Georgian Dream 1st Deputy Foreign Minister Zurabashvili on 21 October, and the UK is also supporting efforts in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Council of Europe to press Georgia to adhere to democratic norms.