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 have 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.

New in-depth analysis by Asylos shows how the UK government’s position that Georgia is generally a ‘safe’ country, is not supported by the Country of Origin Information set out in its Country Policy and Information Note on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Furthermore, Asylos’ new Country of Origin Information report covering the situation of LGBTQI+ people in Georgia suggests no improvement in the situation, particularly following the adoption of a legislative package on the ‘Protection of Family Values and Minors’ by the Georgian parliament, which envisages significant curtailments to the rights of LGBTQI+ Georgians.

For more information about these publications, visit our corresponding project page.

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

We hope that this commentary will provide a useful guide for legal practitioners and decision makers, identifying inconsistencies and omissions in the Country Policy and Information Note, and providing additional relevant Country of Origin Information on the issues identified.