Georgia - September 2024

On 17 September, the Georgian Parliament unanimously approved the bill “on family values and protection of minors” on its third and final reading. Parliamentary votes have been continuously boycotted by opposition MPs since the passing of the contested “foreign agents’ law” earlier this year. The bill includes a wide-ranging set of laws restricting the rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals, prohibiting the legal recognition of same-sex couples and transgender individuals, eliminating their right to gender-affirming care and criminalizing the depiction of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the media. The bill has faced criticism from domestic civil society and from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The day following the approval of the bill saw the murder of a high-profile transgender woman. 

Sources: Politico, International IDEA, Reuters, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Le Monde, Civil Georgia, UNHCR, General Prosecutor’s Office