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The “Kamara” festival scheduled to take place in Gori on September 26, 2026 was postponed by the organizers due to security-related risks. The festival was part of the EU-funded project “Creative Compass Georgia.” The postponement followed a coordinated and deliberate campaign against the festival organizers and participating artists by the ruling political team and pro-government media, targeting in particular musician Aleksandre Kordzaia (Kordz).

Human Rights Center shares the concerns expressed by the European Union Delegation to Georgia regarding this incident and considers that the actions of the ruling party and pro-government media constitute a gross violation of the freedom of expression guaranteed by both the Constitution of Georgia and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 10 of the Convention), as well as the freedom of peaceful assembly (Article 11 of the Convention). The campaign of discrediting artists has a “chilling effect,” aimed at intimidating independent cultural spaces, artists, and civil society, and restricting their ability to engage freely in creative activities.

It is worth noting that this is not first fact of aggression directed against independent cultural and civic spaces in Gori. Society remembers the attacks against the local civic space “Art House,” which included burning of the European Union flag by violent groups. Later, for political reasons, the Gori Municipality initiated proceedings to evict the organization from the space following the installation displayed at “Art House.” These incidents clearly demonstrate that both local and central authorities are pursuing a deliberate policy aimed at suppressing any alternative, critical, or free creative expression.

As the case law of the European Court of Human Rights indicates, in a democratic society, freedom of expression extends not only to information and ideas that are favorably received or regarded as inoffensive, but also to those that offend, shock, or disturb the state or any segment of the society. The state has a positive obligation to ensure a safe environment for peaceful assembly and expression, rather than itself encouraging or participating in the persecution of artists.

Human Rights Center calls on the Georgian Dream government: 

•    To stop politically motivated attacks, bullying, and discrediting campaigns against artists, cultural sector representatives, and independent civic spaces;
•    To ensure compliance with the obligations undertaken under the Constitution of Georgia and international treaties, and create a safe environment in the country for freedom of creative expression and assembly;
•    To respect the efforts of the EU and western partners in the promotion of culture field and civil society in Georgia. 

Human Rights Center