Georgia: Saakashvili Hails Washington's Assessment of Tbilisi's Rights Record

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has praised the US State Department's country report on Georgia's 2009 human rights record. While criticizing certain problem areas, the annual assessment, released on March 11, commended Georgia for plans for the first direct election of Tbilisi's mayor, and for amending election and criminal laws.

"Significant human rights achievements included the passage of a reformed criminal procedure code providing for fair-trial protections, and for the introduction in Tbilisi of a limited jury trial system; and passage of an amended election code calling for the first direct election of the Tbilisi mayor," the report reads.

In response, Saakashvili stated on March 12 that "[t]he authors of this report saw the progress which was achieved by Georgia," the Interpressnews reported. He claimed that even Georgia skeptics cannot overlook the country's recent human rights achievements.

The report, however, strongly criticized Georgia in several areas, including a decline in media freedoms, arbitrary arrests and detention, and senior-level corruption. The report also noted that "deprivation of life, abduction and arbitrary arrests" continue to be serious problems in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.