Tbilisi. With the help of TI Georgia’s lawyers, Abesalom Korshia registered a 5 000 sq.m agricultural land in Anaklia. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On January 13, 2022, about 390 employees of the Social Service Agency, in compliance with all legal procedures, informed their employer in writing that they intend to go on strike in three days, and will not work until their demands are met. “The Georgia Fair Labor Platform expresses solidarity with the striking Social Service Agency staff and calls on the Ministry of Health to meet their demands and create decent working conditions in the agency. The decision to strike was taken by the staff members as a measure of last resort under the Labor Code of Georgia, following an extended mediation process that ultimately failed. The employees’ demands primarily center around a pay increase and reimbursement of travel expenses. They are also demanding full compensation for maternity leave, health insurance, maintenance of employment while on sick leave, and the signing of a collective bargaining agreement”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. The United Nations Country Team in Georgia expresses its regret over the decision of Georgian authorities to abolish the State Inspector’s Service. “On 13 January 2022 the President has signed a new law abolishing the State Inspector’s Service and creating two separate institutions: Special Investigative Service and Personal Data Protection Service. We are particularly concerned about the expedited manner and lack of inclusive and transparent discussions about the abolition of one of the most credible, independent and authoritative institutions in Georgia that is mandated to investigate alleged human rights violations committed by law enforcement officials and is entrusted with the oversight of personal data protection. The lack of convincing justification for abolishing the State Inspector’s Service and the absence of compelling rationale for stripping the State Inspector of her six-year mandate sends a chilling message to independent institutions of human rights protection. We call on the authorities to request the opinion of relevant international institutions on the compliance of these decisions with the international standards”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: georgia.un.org

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia responds to the January 12 verdict of the Tbilisi City Court related to the criminal case of Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze and Avtandil Tsereteli. "The court found that there were no signs of money laundering and reclassified the action as fraud. Today, Georgian society once again witnessed implementation of political justice. Despite the fact that leaders of “Lelo”, a political union, and a family member of the founder of a critical media channel “TV Pirveli” were not imprisoned, the court decision was politically motivated and caused serious reputational damage to them. In case the parties appeal the verdict, Transparency International Georgia will further continue to monitor the case in the courts of higher instance”, - is stated on the website of the organization on a social network. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Shida Kartli. The Rondel Foundation publishes the fifth edition of “Monitoring of the situation at the occupation line in the Tskhinvali region” prepared by Elene Mindiashvili. “On December 12, Mamuka Chkhikvadze, a citizen of Georgia who had previously served in the Georgian Armed Forces, was detained near the village of Nikozi. Gela Gochoshvili, arrested in August, was released. A motion detector was installed at the house of Data and Valia Vanishvilis. People living in villages adjacent to the dividing line will receive financial assistance during the winter period”. Read more... Source: kremlin-roadmap.gfsis.org

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) considers that non-involvement of international experts in the process of examination related to the case of Lekso Lashkarava, as well as disproportionate dissemination of an expert conclusion, reduces confidence in the investigation process. “GYLA, in agreement with the family of Lekso Lashkarava, will continue to protect rights of the family during the process of ongoing investigations. A lawyer of the organization is going to apply to the investigative agency requesting to hand over the expert conclusion, while public will be informed about additional information right after we get thoroughly familiarized with the mentioned document”, - is noted in the statement of the organization. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi releases the statement. “Last week, the ruling party undermined government accountability by abolishing the State Inspector Service, which is mandated to investigate police abuse and protect data privacy, undermined the independence of individual judges by amending the Law on Common Courts, and undermined faith in the judiciary by appointing yet another Supreme Court judge using a flawed selection process. No credible reasons were provided to the public for why these actions needed to be rushed through without appropriate consultations. Steps that weaken democratic institutions, such as the judiciary or independent oversight agencies, damage Georgia’s aspirations for NATO and European Union membership, and undermine the basic freedoms that are the foundation of Georgian culture and society”. Read more… Source: The Embassy’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Parliament of Georgia is considering an amnesty draft law submitted by Mikheil Sarjveladze. An alternative amnesty draft law will also be submitted to the Parliament by the Lelo Party. “The Public Defender of Georgia welcomes these initiatives and hopes that the Parliament will consider and adopt the amnesty law in a short period of time, which will be in line with the basic principles of criminal justice and the positive obligations of the State towards victims and will apply to a lot of prisoners, who have been in the penitentiary system during the Covid pandemic”. Read more… Source: www.ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia echoes the return of Mikheil Saakashvili to Penitentiary Establishment No. 12. “The Public Defender’s representatives obtained medical records and talked to the facility’s doctor and administration, who noted that no ill-treatment had taken place during the transfer. The Public Defender believes that the state council should be actively involved in the process of managing Mikheil Saakashvili's health condition and the recommendations issued by the Public Defender’s group of experts should be implemented“. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. EU Delegation responds to expedited procedures in the Georgian Parliament relating to the State Inspector's Service and the Judiciary. “The State Inspector’s Service is Georgia’s independent mechanism for investigating ill-treatment and abuse of power committed by law enforcement officials and is thus a key institution for a well-functioning democracy and for the protection of human rights. The European Union was engaged in the creation of this Service and has invested substantial financial and human resources in its development. We are, therefore, very disappointed to see these actions, and regret the fact that it has not proved possible for EU representatives to engage with the Parliament on this matter," stated Asunción Sánchez Ruiz, the acting Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia. Learn more… Source: eeas.europa.eu

Adjara. According to the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), the website of the Supreme Council - sca.ge has been adapted with the facilitation of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) within the framework of the project - “Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia”. The Projects is implemented with the support of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). “On the adapted website it is possible to change text and background, color, font with a special reader program, the installation file of which is located on the website; it is possible to read the text; the website also allows to post info materials with synchronized subtitles”. Read more... Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center publishes a report examining contemporary forms of non-standard and informal employment in Georgia. “On the one hand, it contains local knowledge about labor, social and human rights related situation of informal and non-standard employees; while on the other hand, it also presents a survey of those engaged in informal and non-standard employment”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Adjara. According to information released by the Social Justice Center, in high mountainous Adjara, like in other regions, there was heavy snowfall during recent days and part of villages has been left without power supply for 2-3 days, roads are closed too. “Severe winter is typical for high mountainous Adjara and upper villages often appear isolated due to poor infrastructure. Regardless these weather conditions, high mountainous Adjara is not served by a dedicated ambulance, which would provide prompt emergency medical service to citizens in case of necessity”. The organization has been demanding the state repeatedly to create an appropriate medical infrastructure for high mountainous Adjara in order to provide emergency medical care to citizens. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network Photo: Shorena Shavadze

Tbilisi. According to information released by the Social Justice Center, the authority granted to the Government to impose restrictions for coronavirus prevention is extended until 2023. “Resolving such fundamental issues related to human rights is the constitutional authority of the Parliament of Georgia. While the “Law on Public Health” envisages transfer of this authority entirely to the Government, which is equivalent to refusal of the Parliament to perform its legislative function and legalization of a de facto state of emergency in the country”. The organization considers that the Parliament should not limit itself to the automatic extension of the deadline for delegation of authority to the Government and should thoroughly arrange the scope of authority of the Government in the pandemic management process. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge Photo: parliament.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia publishes a special report on the legal status of the children of the St. Nino orphanage in Javakheti Ninotsminda. "The results of the study showed that despite the steps taken after the events of spring 2021, the boarding school still faces a number of challenges, both in terms of producing documentation for the institution and caregivers, as well as assessing and meeting the individual needs of minors, including bio-psycho-social needs. The issue of communication and exchange of information between agencies and institutions working with children is problematic and ineffective, which has a negative impact on the process of meeting the needs of minors and is against their interests," the study said. Read more…  Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center presents an evaluation made by the organization in regard to the state of religious freedom and non-dominant ethnic groups in the country in 2021. “We witnessed social conflicts with religious and ethnic connotations in our country this year as well, which fact again failed to draw attention of the Government to positive transformations and substantial reforms in the policy of equality and integration. Moreover, pre-election processes in regions densely populated by ethnic minorities and efforts of the Government to use them as a political tool once again demonstrated political arrangements for retention of a weak policy of integration of these regions, their exclusion from democracy and peripheralization”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center presents an evaluation: What the rights-related situation was in conflict regions in 2021. “In 2021, the situation in conflict regions has not improved. Critical rights-related challenges keep complicating the daily lives of people living here. Discriminatory practices against ethnic Georgians continue to take place in Gali and Akhalgori. In 2021, teaching in the Georgian language was completely prohibited at schools of Gali. This decision virtually completed the process of Russification at schools Gali, which started years ago. There is the same situation in the Akhalgori education sector. It is still impossible to improve the regime of traffic with conflict regions, which fact resulted in a number of tragic consequences in 2021”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. During the Human Rights Week, representatives of the Eastern and Western Georgia Regional Divisions of the Public Defender's Office held information meetings with target groups of the municipal centers and introduced them to the general principles of human rights and the mandate of the Public Defender. “The participants showed particular interest in the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on human rights and the practice of the Public Defender in terms of elimination of the challenges and problems identified”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions and its partners have issued a joint statement in support of the Public Defender of Georgia. “Due to its recent work, the Georgian Public Defender (Georgian NHRI) has faced continued verbal threats and attacks by prominent politicians. We call on the Georgian Government and Parliament to uphold the clearly defined international principles, and protect the Georgian NHRI from intimidation, threats, or any actions that may limit its independence and effectiveness.  Indeed, they have a duty to ensure that institutions that monitor the state are protected from undue interference, and are not hindered in their work to promote and protect human rights, equality, good governance, and the rule of law”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center presents a summary evaluation of labor policy in Georgia. “2021 developments have once again highlighted the systemic, severe experience of breach of human rights and visible or invisible practices of exploitation of employees in the workplace, which facts are connected with inconsistencies and fundamental shortcomings in labor policy. Above developments were not only individual labor disputes but also general social protests against the existing economic and social system, which has so far failed to ensure minimum wellbeing and social security of those employed”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. According to information released by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the European Court has ordered Georgia to pay 193’500 Euros for violation of rights on the IDAHO day in 2013. Court cases were handled by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, Identoba and The European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC). “The state has been ordered to pay 193’500 Euros as a compensation in favor of applicants. At the same time, the decision envisages a number of general measures, in regard to which the complaining organizations will further communicate with the Committee of Ministers, as the international body supervising execution of decisions/judgments”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. On December 9-14, 2021 IDFI’s Winter School "Rule of Law and Human Rights" was held. “The aim of the school was to enhance students' knowledge of the rule of law and human rights, to encourage discussions on problematic issues, to exchange views and to strengthen democratic values”. Learn more… Source: idfi.ge