On this page, you can download:

• Asylos' commentary on the UK Home Office’s December 2023 Country Policy and Information Note: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression, Georgia V1.0. This commentary was developed in partnership with Rainbow Migration. 
• Asylos' research report Georgia: the situation of LGBTQI+ people.

Access the Commentary

Georgia: sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
September 2024

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In November 2023, the UK government announced that draft regulations were being laid to add Georgia to the list of ‘Safe States’, from where protection and human rights claims will be declared automatically inadmissible. In December 2023, the Country Policy and Information Note “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression, Georgia V1.0” was published, and on 17th April 2024, Georgia was added to the list of countries. Like the UK, a number of EU countries including Czechia, Germany and Italy recently added Georgia to their lists of countries that are considered ‘safe’.

The UK House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, as well as civil society organisations in the UK and internationally, have expressed serious concern at the addition of Georgia to ‘safe states’ lists on the basis that it raises the risk that individuals with well-founded claims may be sent back to ill-treatment or persecution.

This commentary sets out a critique of the Country Policy and Information Note Assessment, in light of the Country of Origin Information presented in the Country Information section. The commentary also presents Country of Origin Information published subsequent to the December 2023 Georgia: SOGIE Country Policy and Information Note, which points to developments that raise concerns for the LGBTQI+ community in Georgia in 2024. 

This publication is intended as a guide for legal practitioners and decision makers, identifying inconsistencies and omissions in the Country Policy and Information Note, and signposting recent Country of Origin Information on the issues considered within this commentary.

Also available to download is a research report covering the situation of LGBTQI+ people in Georgia. This research can be used as a tool to help identify relevant Country of Origin Information. Legal representatives are welcome to submit relevant excerpts cited in this document to decision makers (including judges) to assist an asylum seeker’s case. 

Access the Report

Georgia: the situation of LGBTQI+ people
September 2024

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

You can also read our blog on Free Movement: “Concerns raised about Home Office use of country information in new report on LGBTQI+ people in Georgia”. 

Do you have any comments or feedback on our commentary or the research report?
We would love to hear it! Email us at [email protected]  

Report cover: Jérôme Cid - BalkansCat'