The News in Brief

Freedom House to Award Salome Zourabichvili Mark Palmer Prize in Washington

Freedom House will present Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, with the Mark Palmer Prize at its annual awards ceremony and 85th anniversary celebration in Washington on May 20, the U.S.-based human rights watchdog announced.

The organization said the award recognizes her "exceptional achievements advancing democracy through diplomacy and public service."

The Mark Palmer Prize is given to diplomats or officials serving in intergovernmental institutions. It is named for the late Mark Palmer, a longtime Freedom House trustee who served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary from 1986 to 1990. The prize has previously been awarded to diplomats and international civil servants from around the world.

Zourabichvili, who served as Georgia's president until late 2024, has been an outspoken critic of the Georgian Dream government. She attended the French National Assembly debate on a resolution condemning Georgian Dream earlier this month, and has been a prominent voice in Western capitals calling for accountability and support for Georgia's democratic forces.



Khabeishvili: Five Arrests Are Not Enough, Organizers Must Be Held Accountable

Speaking from prison, United National Movement Political Council Chairman Levan Khabeishvili said that the five law enforcement officers arrested over protest violence are just a fraction of those who should be held accountable, and that the people who organized and ordered the abuse must face justice.

"These five people could not have committed the torture of 300-500 people," he wrote. "The main thing is to punish the ones who gave the orders, organized the torture, and were responsible, and to expose not five, but hundreds of perpetrators and torturers."

Khabeishvili said he was personally tortured for 27 minutes during the protests and believes two of the five arrested officers were involved in his case, though he said he could not confirm this. He said he was willing to forgive those who abused him personally, citing the enthronement of the new Patriarch as the occasion for this gesture. "I forgive the perpetrators of my violence, and I am not motivated by any personal revenge. I can never forgive the mutilation of young people, but for myself, I am ready." He added that the public deserves to know the identities of the detained.

The five detainees, including three former and one current special forces officer and one Security Police Department employee, were arrested in connection with violence against Khabeishvili, protester Zviad Maisashvili, and journalist Guram Rogava during the 2024 protests. They face five to eight years in prison.