H₁-semistability for projective groups

We initiate the study of the asymptotic topology of groups that can be realized as fundamental groups of smooth complex projective varieties with holomorphically convex universal covers (these are called here as holomorphically convex groups). We prove the $H_1$-semistability conjecture of Geoghegan for holomorphically convex groups. In view of a theorem of Eyssidieux, Katzarkov, Pantev and Ramachandran \cite{ekpr}, this implies that linear projective groups satisfy the $H_1$-semistability conjecture.