Tbilisi. The round table "Reinforcing Civil Society’s Role in Prevention of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment” was held on October 11, 2013 in the frames of the project "Improvement of Prisoners’ Conditions –Joint Advocacy” implemented jointly by GYLA and the Public Defender’s Office. The round table aimed to promote reinforcement of civil society’s role in prevention of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment by restoring NGOs’ right to implement monitoring in penitentiary establishments. Head of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament, other MPs, Deputy Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia, Head of Penitentiary Department and representatives from Public Defender’s Office and NGOs participated in the event.  For full text Source:gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Lawyers of Article 42 of Constitution have organized a briefing about the pending case in the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyers have talked about the case of citizens AmiranNatsvlishvili and RusudanTogonidze, which will be heard on October 15 in the European Court of Human Rights. Lawyers of Article 42 of Constitution will defend their interests. Source: article42.ge

Tbilisi. GYLA’s Media Legal Defense Center has been representing Giorgi Baratashvili’s interests in the court. "It is noteworthy, that by the October 9, 2013 ruling the court suspended announced open competition on the vacant position of the general director of the public broadcaster", says the organization's page. For full text Source:gyla.ge

Tbilisi. "Young Barristers" have presented the study – "Possibility of Religion and Belief in Georgia" and organized a discussion round table on the topic. The organization has presented the package of recommendations for the executive, legislative and judicial authorities of Georgia, the Patriarchate of Georgia and the Editors-In-Chief of the mass information means, which discuss actions required for setting up a tolerant environment among the religious confessions. For the full text (geo) Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. On October 4, Georgian Democracy Initiative released a statement.  "On October 2, 2013 Kakheti Information Center issued video recordings of Mr Akhalaia (who is in pre-trial detention), with various visitors", says the statement. "By undertaking the surveillance, which might have also included members of the the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) members, without such authorization, the Ministry committed an illegal act. Both the Organic Law of Georgia on Public Defender of Georgia and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture provide for the confidentiality of NPM members’ meetings with inmates as well as prohibits their recording". For full text Source:gdi.ge

Tbilisi. The "Center of United Public Initiatives" has released a statement. The organization echoes the process of challenging the results of the teacher certification exams carried out by the National Examinations Center of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, in which, "as we are informed, there are numerous breaches and the rights of thousands of teachers have been violated". For the full text.(geo) Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. Open Society Georgia Foundation, Local and international human rights advocates initiated a large-scale survey after one year from the dissemination of video footages depicting torture of prisoners.  The survey will look into motives of torture and inhumane treatment in Georgian prisons and its role in the justice system of Georgia. 1200 respondents will take part in the survey, of which 600 are former prisoners.Survey results to be unveiled in the first half of 2014. The research group is made of local and international NGOs working on human rights issues. For full text Source:osgf.ge

Tbilisi. On September 26, 2013 GYLA submitted its opinion to the Parliament on the draft Police Law. "GYLA’s remarks concern political neutrality of the Ministry of Interior; problems related to summoning of individual and regulation of inspection-frisk; gradation of special means, rule of their utilization and gaps in terms of application of fire-arms as well as competence of the inspection general and labor rights of policemen". For full text  Source:gyla.ge

Shida Kartli. The "Georgian Democratic Initiative" has organized trainings in Gori on September 28 and 29 on the prohibition of discrimination and the right to respect of private life. The meeting was led by the human rights legal specialists, attended by the students, representatives of NGOs and the Gori Municipality, and other interested persons. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. On September 25, lawyers of Human Rights Center gave master-class on the procedures related with criminal cases to the students of the law faculties in the conference hall of Human Rights House Tbilisi. Intern-lawyers of the legal educational center working in the frame of the project also attended the master-class. The lawyers shared their theoretical and practical experience with the students on the following hot topics: torture, inhuman and degrading treatment (national and international standards), plea-agreement, mediation and diversion, being non compos mentis and non-voluntary treatment.  The master-class was conducted in the frame of the project "Provision of free legal aid to the Georgian indigent population” implemented by Human Rights House Tbilisi together with its member organizations Human Rights Center and Article 42 of the Constitution. Source:humarightshouse.ge

Imereti. On September 26, members of the Kutaisi Youth Center have delivered a training-seminar for the schoolchildren of the Kutaisi public schools in "Teaching the rights of a child by alternative methods". Training was entirely dedicated to the issued related to children's rights. The Convention on the Rights of a Child, international experience, facts of violation of children's rights, obligations of the state and legal mechanisms were discussed. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. EU Special Adviser on Constitutional and Legal Reformand Human Rights in Georgia Thomas Hammarberg released Assessment and recommendations -  "GEORGIA IN TRANSITION" Report on the human rights dimension:background, steps taken and remaining challenges. Document  Source:ginsc.net

Tbilisi. NGO's released a Report on Georgia's Compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Report Source:npo.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia posted in the organization's page in the social network: "Illegally recorded video materials disclosing information about the private lives of citizens, which are stored in the archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are finally going to be destroyed publicly, in front of the media. The event will be held at the so-called Moduli building at 3:00pm on Thursday, August 5. The decision was made on Monday during an expanded meeting of a special committee set up in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was attended by the Ministers of Justice and Internal Affairs". Source:the organization's page in the social network

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia released a blog post - "What you need to know about the new Personal Data Protection Inspector”.  "Georgia has a new government authority that is tasked with protecting people’s right to privacy. Its powers however may not be sufficient to stop the Ministry of Interior’s unchecked systematic surveillance of electronic communication", says the blog post. For full text Source:transparency.ge

Tbilisi. "International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy expresses its concern over the developments in the village of Chela and believes that the removal of mosque minaret and the excessive use of force against local population violated the rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Georgia, legislation and international norms". Organization addresses various agencies with recommendations and urge them to take actions in frames of their competence for ensuring equal protection of constitutional rights of all citizens of Georgia. For full text Source:isfed.ge

Tbilisi. Women's Initiatives Supporting group (WISG) joins the international campaign "Keep Hope Alive", "which aims at attracting the international attention towards the cases of human rights violations in Russia". Campaign  Source:the organization's page in the social network

Tbilisi. NGOs released a joint statement about events in Chela village. "We believe there are clear signs of crime in the actions undertaken by the representatives of the state bodies on August 26, 2013. The case shall be thoroughly investigated by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia. Therefore, we address the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia with the request to launch the investigation of the above stated facts and impose the liability on all those public servants or other officials, whose illegal actions blatantly infringed constitutional rights of the Muslim population of Chela village", says the statement. For full text

Tbilisi. ISFED shares public concern about recent raids in Tbilisi and deems it necessary to provide citizens with information about applicable legal rules and procedures prescribed by the Georgian laws. For full text Source:isfed.ge

Tbilisi.Human Rights Center, Article 42 of the Constitution, Public Advocacy, Media Institute released a statement about Dismantle of Minaret by Revenue Service. Organizations  "condemn dismantle of mosque minaret in Tchela village in Adigeni district by Revenue Service on August 26. Nongovernmental organizations are particularly disturbed with the coarse forms used against Muslim citizens during dismantle of the minaret that may be identified as insult of religious feelings". For full text Source:humanrights.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Center published a report: "The psychiatric institutions -  problems, needs, recommendations" . The report is based on researches and visits of Mental institutions conducted by the representatives of the Human Rights Center. The members of the working group were: two lawyers, pathopsychology specialist, human rights defender (who is also user of the service) and a journalist along with the operator. In the framework of the project  a documentary film - "outcast" has been prepared. The research is funded by the  Pro Victims Foundation. Report Movie (Part 1) Movie (Part 2) Source:humanrights.ge

Tbilisi. The film depicts several stories, obtained by Transparency International Georgia, regarding the violation of property rights. The victims tell their stories by themselves. Transparency International Georgia has spoken to the victims of violation in several towns of Georgia: Tbilisi, Gardabani, Rustavi, Signagi and Lagodekhi. Film   Source:the organization's page in the social network