Joint Statement of Human Rights House Tbilisi and Human Rights House Foundation:

Statements and actions in response to the publicly acknowledged error in the parallel vote tabulation report (PVT) by the “International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)” must not go beyond those which are acceptable in healthy debate and criticism.

Human Rights House Tbilisi, on behalf of its member organizations, and Human Rights House Foundation find the developments following ISFED’s statement on December 11 alarming, as the statements go beyond healthy debate and criticism and try to discredit not only the organization but the civil society in general.

ISFED monitored the October 31, 2020, parliamentary elections and released the results of the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) on November [1]. Later, on December 11, the organization reported [2], that as a result of the internal audit “a technical fault was identified in the vote calculation formula…and the correction insignificantly altered the percentage points of votes received by the electoral subjects.”

We believe that after dissemination of the statement, the discussion on this fact has been unhealthy. Instead of discussing specific facts concerning the PVT, statements and actions are seeking to discredit[3] and attach the general activities of the organization and the entire civil society sector[4], including mentioning possible investigation. [5] The organization has made a public statement about the mistake, which we welcome. ISFED has been monitoring the fair conduct of elections in the country for 25 years and we hope that the organization will be able to continue this important activity in a safe environment and to inform the public about the causes and consequences of the above-mentioned shortcoming.

It is particularly alarming that while in recent period civil society sector representatives speak[6], about the frequent attacks and harassment against non-government organizations, also generally about the multiplied negative narrative in the country, such rhetoric by government officials following ISFED’s public statement adds to this trend and poses an even greater threat to civil society and its mission to protect human rights, build democracy and ensure the rule of law in the country.

[1] იხილეთ: https://isfed.ge/geo/gantskhadebebi/201101022808khmebis-paraleluri-datvlis-PVT-shedegebi

[2] იხილეთ: https://isfed.ge/geo/gantskhadebebi/ISFED-is-khmebis-paraleluri-datvlis-PVT-shedegebis-shesakheb-dazustebuli-informatsia-

[3] იხილეთ იუსტიციის ყოფილი მინისტრის, პარლამენტის წევრის – თეა წულუკიანის განცხადება: https://on.ge/story/71594-კინაღამ-ქვეყანა-აყირავეთ-ამ-შეცდომით-თეა-წულუკიანი-isfed-ზე

[4] იხილეთ საპარლამენტო უმრავლესობის ლიდერის, ირაკლი კობახიძის განცხადება: https://1tv.ge/news/irakli-kobakhidze-lasha-nacvlishvils-ert-erti-saparlamento-opoziciuri-partiis-liderma-miawoda-informacia-rom-pvt-chatarebuli-hqonda-saertashoriso-gamchvirvalobasac/

[5] იხილეთ საპარლამენტო უმრავლესობის ლიდერის, ირაკლი კობახიძის განცხადება: https://www.tabula.ge/ge/story/184007-kobaxidze-isfed-ze-tu-gamodziebaze-iqna-saubari-amerikuli-mxaris-chartulobit-unda

[6] იხილეთ თბილისის ადამიანის უფლებათა სახლის ანგარიში „უფლებადამცველების მდგომარეობა საქართველოში – დაბრკოლებები და გამოწვევები“: https://bit.ly/2W5KaHO

  • Human Rights House Tbilisi (signed by these member NGOs):
    • Human Rights Center
    • Rights Georgia
    • Media Institute
    • Sapari
    • Georgian Centre for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT)
  • Human Rights House Foundation