Europe's top rights court said on Thursday Georgian police had deliberately humiliated LGBT+ activists by strip searching them during a raid, a ruling campaigners hope will help change attitudes towards gay people among local authorities.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found the ex-Soviet republic had breached its international obligations by failing to protect the activists from inhumane and degrading treatment, and by not properly investigating the incident.

"The judgment exposes systemic discriminatory attitudes within the Georgian police, which must now change," said Philip Leach, director of the British-based European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC), which represented the claimants.

The Georgian government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Georgia has witnessed a cultural clash between liberal forces and religious conservatives over the past decade as it has modernised and introduced radical reforms, though it remains socially conservative for the most part.

It has passed anti-discrimination laws in an effort to move closer to the European Union, but LGBT+ rights groups say there is a lack of adequate protection by law enforcement officials in cases involving homophobic abuse.

Thursday's ruling stems from a December 2009 raid on the Tbilisi offices of the Inclusive Foundation, Georgia's first but now-defunct LGBT+ organisation, where a group of campaigners, mainly women, had gathered to prepare an art exhibition. Read more via Openly/Reuters