In 2026, Validity Foundation and its Georgian partner, Partnership for Human Rights (PHR), continued to defend the rights of persons with disabilities through strategic litigation and advocacy, achieving important developments in access to healthcare and freedom of assembly.
Access to essential medicines: Following a month and a half of continuous demonstrations and marches by people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and their families, the Georgian Government agreed on 4 June to purchase two essential medicines and provide medical services for children with DMD under the age of 18. However, adults with DMD continued to face barriers to adequate care. Validity and PHR subsequently took legal action to defend the rights of Beka Shonia, an adult with DMD who was forced into hospitalisation due to the lack of appropriate services outside hospital settings.
Improving access to healthcare: On 18 August 2026, the Public Defender of Georgia issued a general proposal addressing discrimination in healthcare provision for persons with disabilities, following the examination of several cases, including those jointly referred by Validity and PHR. The Public Defender identified refusals of medical care, delays in emergency assistance and failures to provide timely services. Recommendations included introducing a unified multidisciplinary case-management protocol, establishing a system to monitor refusals of care, and providing mandatory specialised training for medical staff. Healthcare providers were also urged to ensure timely, accessible and individualised treatment.
Protecting the right to peaceful assembly: On 15 July 2026, the Public Defender issued a separate general proposal concerning restrictions on freedom of assembly, including cases referred jointly by Validity and PHR. Restrictions on tents and other equipment during protests by people with DMD and their families prevented children with disabilities from participating. The Public Defender called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide detailed justifications for restrictions and to ensure that decisions concerning assemblies involving persons with disabilities, including children, comply with international human rights standards, provide reasonable accommodation and respect the best interests of the child.
Together, these developments demonstrate how strategic litigation and sustained advocacy can challenge discrimination, strengthen public accountability and ensure that persons with disabilities in Georgia can exercise their rights to healthcare and peaceful assembly with dignity and on an equal basis with others.