Georgia’s human rights record remained “uneven” last year, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report released on January 22.

The report is a review of human rights developments in the world for 2011.

In respect of Georgia the report lists use of excessive force by the police to disperse anti-government protests in Tbilisi in May, “restrictions on freedom of association and media”, forced evictions of IDPs living in temporary shelters in Tbilisi, as well as violation of labor rights, in particular during a strike by steel plant workers in Kutaisi, among the concerns.

• HRW Report on Georgia's 'Flawed' Administrative Offenses System

The report says that although the U.S. and the European Union deepened political and economic ties with Georgia, they “failed to use their leverage to secure human rights improvements.”

“The US and the EU deepened their engagement and economic ties with Georgia. While both actors raised human rights concerns, neither used the process toward upgraded relations to secure concrete human rights improvements,” the report reads.