Dr Giorgi Lomidze

Georgia Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases

Expert at The Human Rights Experts, an international expert witness organisation.

We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities, in full compliance with procedural standards and tribunal requirements in the UK (CPR Part 35, Upper Tribunal PD, First-tier Tribunal IAC PD), USA (Federal Rules of Evidence), Canada, and the EU.

Occupation

• Country Witness Expert on Georgia and Armenia
• Human Rights Specialist
• Legal Researcher and Academic Consultant
• Independent Journalist and Investigative Reporter on Human Rights

Expertise

I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with a focus on the following countries:

Georgia: The Georgian political landscape has become increasingly polarized, with opposition politicians, civil society activists, and independent media facing intimidation, selective prosecution, and politically motivated criminal charges, particularly following the adoption of foreign agent legislation targeting non-governmental organisations. Ethnic minorities, including Azerbaijani and Armenian communities in regions such as Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti, face barriers to political representation, language access in public services, and integration into national institutions. Women experience high rates of domestic violence, and despite legislative reforms, implementation of protection orders and prosecution of perpetrators remain inadequate. LGBT individuals face pervasive societal hostility, violent attacks on Pride events by far-right groups, and insufficient police protection, while residents of the Russian-occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia face restrictions on movement, arbitrary detention at boundary lines, and denial of access to education and healthcare in their native language.

Armenia: Armenian political life has undergone significant upheaval, and while democratic reforms have advanced since 2018, concerns persist regarding selective prosecution of former officials, restrictions on judicial independence, and the use of security legislation to limit political opposition in the context of post-conflict tensions. Ethnic and religious minorities, including Yazidis, Kurds, and members of non-Apostolic Christian denominations, face societal discrimination and barriers to full participation in public life. Women experience widespread domestic violence, and despite the adoption of a domestic violence law, enforcement remains inconsistent and access to shelters is limited, particularly in rural areas. LGBT individuals face severe societal stigma, hate crimes, and threats from both community members and organized nationalist groups, with police frequently failing to investigate attacks or provide effective protection, and displaced populations from Nagorno-Karabakh face challenges in accessing housing, employment, and social services.

Experience

• Provided expert witness testimony and written reports in over 55 asylum proceedings before UK immigration tribunals and US immigration courts, addressing political persecution, ethnic discrimination, and LGBT-related claims from Georgia and Armenia.
• Submitted expert evidence to the First-tier Tribunal (IAC) and Upper Tribunal on the treatment of political opposition figures, the security situation in occupied territories, and the availability of state protection for vulnerable groups in the South Caucasus.
• Authored country condition reports on democratic governance, minority rights, and domestic violence responses in Georgia and Armenia for legal practitioners and international protection organisations.
• Served as Lecturer in Political Science and Human Rights at Ilia State University in Tbilisi, with field research focused on conflict displacement, minority integration, and civil society development in the Caucasus region.
• Collaborated with international non-governmental organisations to monitor human rights conditions, including freedom of assembly, media independence, and the treatment of displaced populations from conflict zones. Expert member of The Human Rights Experts.

Full professional experience is available in the CV. Please email us to receive the detailed expert CV.

Publications

Available upon request and detailed in the expert CV.

Languages

• Georgian (Native)
• English (Fluent)
• Russian (Fluent)
• Armenian (Conversational)

Religious Groups Expertise

All religious groups

Contact Email

info@thehuman-rights.com