Tbilisi. The European Union (EU) co-founded the programme EU4Youth and created a Telegram chat-bot game Fair Employment. The game’s primary goal is to raise awareness and promote a better understanding of fair labour practices and standards that must be ensured before and after signing the contract for both young people and employers. “This game, among other EU4Youth initiatives, corresponds to the European Year of Skills 2023 activities aiming to increase people’s skills and empower them to navigate the labour market and its changes successfully and to engage in society and democracy fully”. Read more… Source: eu4georgia.eu

Tbilisi. This joint statement is issued by the United Nations system in Georgia, the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, the Embassies to Georgia of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, the European Investment Bank’s Regional Representation for the South Caucasus, and the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia. “We call on Georgia, a country aspiring to become an EU candidate country, to align state policy and practice with Georgia’s international commitments to safeguard the rights of LGBTQI+ persons and to promote an inclusive society. Exclusion of any member of society perpetuates social, economic and political inequality and injustice for everyone, thus hampering further development of Georgia’s democracy. We call upon Georgian state, political, civic and religious leaders to stand up and speak out against hate, discrimination and violence and to work together with the LGBTQI+ communities to ensure full enjoyment of everyone’s rights”. Read more… Source: www.eeas.europa.eu

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia has studied the guilty verdict delivered against Nika Gvaramia, a former director of Rustavi 2 TV company and the founder of Mtavari Arkhi, on May 16, 2022, which fails to meet the criteria of lawfulness, substantiation and fairness. “Judge Lasha Chkhikvadze of the Tbilisi City Court found Nika Gvaramia guilty of abuse of powers (on two counts) under Article 220 of the Criminal Code of Georgia and sentenced him to three years and six months of imprisonment. Considering the neglect of legitimate questions regarding the impartiality and objectivity of the judge, poor legal reasoning in determining the guilt and sentencing of Nika Gvaramia, dearth of systemic analysis of facts presented in the form of evidence and lack of use of corresponding court practice, legal literature or academic materials, we can conclude that the decision delivered against Nika Gvaramia is unsubstantiated”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. UNICEF, in partnership with seven state universities and the CRCs, initiated the research on mental health among university students to gain in-depth understanding of students’ mental health needs and their access to the respective services as one of the fundamental child rights. “According to the survey conducted by UNICEF, young people comprise one of the most vulnerable groups in terms of mental health. One out of four young people experiences moderate or severe anxiety symptoms, one in three suffers from signs of depression”. Read more… Source: www.unicef.org

Tbilisi. On April 13, Sapari submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of 5 former beneficiaries of Ninotsminda boarding school. “The applicants seek a finding of the violation of their rights under the substantive aspects of Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman/degrading treatment) and Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life), as well as the procedural aspect of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center shares the document which reviews the institutional arrangement, main functions, management issues and the accountability concerns over the National Security Council and its bodies. “In light of Georgia’s regional and global challenges, it is concerning that the national-level conceptual documents - the National Security Concept, the Threats Assessment Document, and the relevant strategies are outdated and cannot respond to emerged challenges”… Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. On April 5, 2023, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani met with Wolt couriers who are on a strike and listened to their problems related to their labor rights and discrimination. According to the applications filed with the Public Defender’s Office, some of the couriers were blocked by the Wolt application, which is why they cannot continue working, while others received a warning message about their dismissal from the company. The couriers name their protest against the company as the reason for the violation of their rights. The Public Defender continues to study the mentioned applications and will make a decision in the near future. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, based on publicly available sources, reacts to the case of Lazare Grigoriadis and believes that there may be cases of violation of the rights of the accused, which is why it calls on the Special Investigation Service and the Public Defender to act in accordance with their mandate. In particular, 1. The court did not publicly justify the imprisonment used as a preventive measure; 2. Statements made by high-ranking officials may adversely affect Lazare Grigoriadis' right to a fair trial. This, in some cases, at the same time, violates the presumption of innocence of Lazare Grigoriadis; 3. Possible violation of the privilege against self-incrimination; 4. Possible Violation of the Prohibition of Mistreatment. GYLA calls for: - the Government representatives - to refrain from discriminatory statements and not to go beyond the framework of the presumption of innocence in the case of Lazare Grigoriadis. - the Special Penitentiary Service - to protect the prisoner's rights in full compliance with the national legislation and the state's international obligations. - the Special Investigation Service - to start an investigation based on the information provided by the lawyer of Lazare Grigoriadis. - the Public Defender of Georgia - as the person supervising the protection of human rights in the territory of Georgia, to act with the mechanisms stipulated by their mandate and, among them, to carry out frequent monitoring of the legal situation of the prisoner Lazare Grigoriadis. Read more… Source: www.gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The rights of LGBTQI+ in Georgia are the focus of the discussions between civil society and international organizations. The spring coordination meeting brought together the representatives of community organizations that summarized the results achieved in 2022, discussed the existing challenges and made future plans. Discussions are supported by the Norway-funded “Leadership, Equality, Advocacy and Democracy” LEAD initiative and Swedish-funded “UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality” in partnership with National Democratic Institute and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Adjara. According to TI Georgia, the organization’s lawyers successfully litigated at three instance courts the case of the illegal dismissal of Vakhtang Beridze from the director’s position at the Shuakhevi Cultural Center. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Adjara. On March 29, 2023, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, visited the arbitrarily built “dream town” in the city of Batumi and learned about the situation of its inhabitants. “The homeless citizens of Georgia, resettled from the mountainous Adjara region, have been living in the conditions of faulty water supply, sewage and electricity systems for more than 10 years. Due to the lack of road infrastructure, it is also difficult for children to get pre-school and secondary education”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. According to the Human Rights House Tbilisi, 176 people applied for professional practice in our organization. “We are happy that there is such a strong desire to continue working in the human rights-defending organization”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Civil society and community organisations are responding to the attack on MP Tariel Nakaidze and believe that “this attack is directed not only against an individual politician but aims to discredit the human rights work in general and harm the human rights condition of minorities in Georgia”. “Unlike the MPs supporting the Russian Law, Tariel Nakaidze often uses the Parliament tribune for defending human rights and discussing the challenges of religious and ethnic minorities, women and LGBTQI persons. Minority rights protection is part of those European values that are strongly protected in the EU and are an organic part of our traditions. The hate speech and politics of hatred promoted by government representatives, besides being against democratic values and the spirit of human rights, irreversibly deepen political polarisation and harms pluralism and diversity”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge Photo: IPN

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center shares the analytical document: Another Attempt to Reform the Judiciary - Analysis of the Parliamentary Working Group and the Draft Law. “The recommendations issued by the European Commission for Georgia in the summer of 2022 created an important opportunity for the systemic refinement of the judicial system. Unfortunately, due to the lack of political will, this opportunity was not used effectively once again. The working group in the Parliament created only an illusory opportunity for civic engagement and in-depth discussions on judicial reforms. Despite the opportunity for formal engagement of CSOs, Public defenders, and professional groups in the activities of the working group, not a single recommendation made by them, directed to systemic changes, or to the assessment of existing problems in the court, was shared by the parliamentary majority. Moreover, rarely were these initiatives even the subject of genuine analysis and debate. Against this background, it is logical that the reform strategy developed by the working group does not even minimally address the systemic challenges in the judicial system. The package of legislative changes prepared on the basis of the mentioned strategy envisages fragmented, façade changes, which cannot be the source of hope for substantive refinement of the judicial system”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Salome Kenchiashvili, is the winner of the first scholarship of the Maro Makashvili Award, which is provided by the Gurulian Diary Fund. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. According to the Public Defender's assessment, at the time of the warning made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia in the evening hours of March 7, 2023, the assembly had a peaceful character and there was no reason to terminate it or use force against it. “As for the cases of violence by individual participants in the rally, if there were any, individual - necessary and proportionate measures should have been taken against them. Contrary to this, the law enforcement officers started using special equipment against the participants in the assembly, including peaceful demonstrators, which contradicts the standard of necessary and proportionate interference with the right”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The ruling Georgian Dream party has passed the first version of the draft foreign agent law in its first reading in parliament. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside to protest what has been widely condemned as a Russian-style law that threatens Georgia’s democracy. Riot police were immediately deployed as the bill was passed, deploying water cannons and pepper spray to clear the sides of the parliament. Numerous arrests were made. HRHT supports the protesting activists and ensures payment of fines to those arrested. The small budget mobilized by the organization will be used until it runs out. Therefore, we are starting to collect donations here. Account Numbers: GEL: GE41TB7249036080100001 USD/EUR: GE85TB7249036180100001 Recipient: THE HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE TBILISI Description: No to Russian law Learn more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition appeals to the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Mr. Shalva Papuashvili, to immediately restore the accreditation of journalists in the Parliament, to ensure an unhindered and safe working environment for media representatives in the legislative body, to protect their freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution, especially during the upcoming discussions of the Russian law scheduled for this week. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) believes that the draft laws, especially the one registered on February 27, grossly violate freedoms of expression and association guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia. Also, it contradicts the practice established by the Constitutional Court of Georgia regarding the “legitimacy test” of the restriction of rights. “…While there are many challenges in the country and Georgia is preparing to receive the status of a candidate for EU membership, it is not clear which point of the EU’s 12-point plan requires the adoption of a law on transparency of foreign influence, especially since there is actually nothing about it in the explanatory notes. The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) emphasizes that European Integration is a strong will of the citizens of our country and the Parliament of Georgia, within its competence, should do everything for it.  At the same time, the priority of population, according to numerous social surveys, is solving acute labour and social problems, which is also an important part of the European integration. The Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) calls on the Parliament not to support the draft law on “agents of foreign influence” and to continue working to fulfill the EU’s 12-point plan!” Read more… Source: gtuc.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia’s lawyers helped Zaur Shonia to win an administrative dispute at the Poti City Court. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Public Defender’s Office is echoing the draft law of Georgia "On transparency of foreign influence" and considers that the proposed document does not comply with international or domestic human rights standards and is incompatible with the basic principles of a modern democratic state. “Special attention should be paid to the fact that the bill creates the basis for the collection and publication of a large amount of personal data on persons considered to be "agents of foreign influence" or those in varying relationships with such persons. In addition to potentially imposing an unjustified organizational burden on organizations and detracting them from their core activities,it may contravene the right to privacy by creating the possibility of processing and disclosing the personal data of any individual who has any form of employment or service contractual relationship with these organizations. It should be noted that ensuring the transparency of the activities of associations constitutes an important legitimate aim and pertinent legal regulation for achieving this goal, as well as the tool for collecting, analyzing and reporting information on foreign aid (eAIMS), is not unknown to Georgia as well. However, in order for the proposed interference with human rights to be considered justified, it must be necessary due to "pressing social need" and at the same time, the restrictive measures and accompanying procedures must not be disproportionate, which, according to the assessment of the Public Defender's Office, is not met by the draft law”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. According to the blogpost published on Qeer.ge, the Government of Georgia submitted the 2022-2030 National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights to the Parliament, in which LGBTQI rights were omitted. Parliament will probably discuss the document from February. Non-governmental organizations, activists and some politicians consider the approval of the strategy document in the mentioned form unjustified, and talk about the need to correct it. Read more… Source: queer.ge