Tbilisi.Advocacy Document, Human Rights Amid Natural Disasters - looks into the circumstances surrounding the natural disasters that struck Racha in August 2023 and Guria in September 2023 in order to raise some important questions regarding the causes behind the natural disasters as well as the efficiency of the management of the rescue efforts. Presentation of the Advocacy Document was held on November 13, 2023 by GYLA. Published by Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association with the financial support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation. The views, opinions and statements expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs only and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foundation. Therefore, the Open Society Georgia Foundation is not responsible for the content of the information material. More... Source: Georgian Young Lawyers' Association

Tbilisi. UNDP announces the release of the "Guidelines on Meaningful Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Decision-Making Processes", developed with support from UNDP Georgia and the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD MPTF) This groundbreaking document highlights international and local standards, practical methods, and considerations tailored to diverse needs and influencing factors.  It serves as an invaluable resource for public agencies, as well as the private, and civic sectors, toward ensuring meaningful participation and engagement of people with disabilities. More... Source: UNDP Georgia

Tbilisi. Human Rights House Tbilisi invites human rights defenders, journalists, and activists to an online meeting: "Digital security and related challenges".  The meeting will be held online on October 25. Interested persons are requested to fill out the registration form: https://shorturl.at/eglvL More... Source: Human Rights House Tbilisi 

Tbilisi. Human Rights Center published - “INTERIM REPORT ON MONITORING PUBLIC ASSEMBLIES”.  “The Report identifies breaches of domestic legislation regarding the right to freedom of assembly and manifestation as well as its practical realization and offers legal analysis. Additionally, the Report assesses the activities of the law enforcement officers during the demonstrations in coherence with the law. The Report summarizes the monitoring results and key findings”. More… Source: Human Rights Center

Tbilisi. With the assistance of TI Georgia’s legal team the Kutaisi court of appeal ruled in favor of Vazha Tavartkiladze, dismissing the case and rejecting the allegation that he had violated the law. Previously, the Batumi city court had imposed a fine of 1000 Gel on him for the inscription displayed on his window, which read “Zonder Mayor of Batumi is an Enemy of the People”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. According to the IDFI, employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Goga Razmadze describes discriminatory and humiliating treatment toward him. “Goga Razmadze’s statement is sufficiently concrete and needs effective Response. Some of these facts contain elements of a crime. IDFI supports Goga Razmadze and calls on the Ministry to stop any process that might be aimed at pressuring employees for their expressed opinions”. Learn more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. The Parliament of Georgia passed the bill on Personal Data Protection in three readings, initiated back in 2019. The discussion on the draft law resumed in the Parliament of the 10th Convocation in December 2022. The law encompasses a multitude of cutting-edge advancements in line with the best international standards for personal data protection. Its execution will be carried out gradually. See the 8 amendments that the new law on personal data envisage… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. According to the Georgia Young Lawyers Association, 2 years have passed since the events of July 5-6, 2021, however, until now not all the episodes of possible crime actions have been properly investigated. “Nowadays, it is clear that, despite the punishment of certain perpetrators, the agency in charge of criminal proceedings does not have the necessary will to punish the organizer of violence actions, the leader or the persons who publicly incited to violent acts. It is true that the investigation, among others, is going against the organizers of violence, however, it is not all-round, objective and properly effective, due to the focus of the investigation and not bringing charges to specific persons.  GYLA believes that the victims have been artificially limited the access to the materials obtained by the investigation in the respect of organizers, leaders or the persons who publicly incited to the violent acts”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. On June 22-23, 2023, the 9th annual conference of the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) - "New Frontiers: The South Caucasus Amidst New Challenges" was held. “At the aforementioned conference, during the round table discussion titled "Archival accessibility and openness in the Caucasus and Eurasia," Anton Vatcharadze, the head of the memory and disinformation studies department at the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), presented a report. In his report, he focused on the new law on "personal data protection" and the publicity surrounding the standards”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Adjara. The Batumi New Mosque Construction Fund, the Tolerance and Diversity Institute, and Social Justice Center release a statement regarding the case of the Batumi new mosque. “A court action commenced in 2017 for a permit to construct a new mosque in the city of Batumi continues, as the Supreme Court of Georgia recently returned the case to the Court of Appeal for its reconsideration. The legitimate request for the permit stems from the long-standing needs of the Muslim community, and the issue remains unsolved. The decision of the Supreme Court contains a number of problematic elements, which not only hinder the realization of the fundamental rights of Muslims but also could lead to the undermining of the general principles of the right to freedom of religion and equality under the law. The court action, which has dragged on for seven years, is now prolonged indefinitely by this latest decision, grossly violating the rights of the Muslim community and threatening the essential principle of speedy and effective justice. The government’s gross violation of the fundamental rights of Muslims has a continuous character. For years, Muslims have been unable to build a place of worship in Batumi due to illegal barriers created by the government, and they still have to gather and pray in the open air. The government used all the means available to it to prevent the case from being decided on time and delayed the case for 7 years by appealing to the courts. The decision of the Supreme Court contributes both to the prolongation of the process and to the continuation of the systematic violation of Muslim rights”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Media Advocacy Coalition condemns the physical attack on Misha Mshvildadze, the co-founder and anchor of Formula TV. "Attacks on media representatives in the country remain a serious challenge. The lack of action from the government regarding crimes against journalists, coupled with their hostile rhetoric towards critical voices and dissemination of targeted disinformation, only serves to further encourage such acts". Media Advocacy Coalition urgently calls upon the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this attack on Misha Mshvildadze. It is crucial that those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Read more… Source: mediacoalition.ge

Tbilisi. According to the IDFI, the new law significantly changed the balance between the personal data protection and the transparency and established new standards of publicity, which should be considered a positive development. The parliament took into account a number of IDFI’s recommendations and the norms, which in many cases were the basis for limiting access to information by public institutions, were changed and replaced with unambiguous regulations. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Adjara. The GYLA responds to the events of the peaceful protest in Batumi. “Based on the publicly disseminated facts it is known, that On June 3 at the Era Square in Batumi, At the rally aimed at declaration of solidarity with the illegally and arbitrarily detained human rights defenders in front of the parliament on June 2, 2023, 6 people were detained administratively, including two minors. It is worrisome, that after Tbilisi, in Batumi, the freedom of expression and assembly continues to be illegally restricted by repressive police mechanisms. The footage shows the use of physical force by the police against several people (clashes, handshakes), as well as the facts of violent arrests. As can be seen from the footage, the rally participant was arrested for calling the policeman "shameful". Detention of individuals on such grounds is not new in the Georgian reality, although it is important to note that state bodies and civil servants are subject to wider limits of criticism than private citizens. When a person's actions at a peaceful demonstration are neither violent, nor intended to be violent, their administrative detention runs counter to the guarantees protected by the freedoms of assembly and expression. In the footage, it is also clear how one of the detainees (who, as it turns out from the shouts of the people, is a minor) is probably being detained hands behind their backs, while their face is slammed to the front part of the car. In this regard, it is important to note that a widespread method of administrative detention is the use of rubber/plastic handcuffs during policing operations during demonstrations. However, in such a case, the police officer must warn the detainee that force/resistance may result in handcuffing and possible injury. Tight handcuffs can cause swelling, bruising, redness, numbness and other nerve damage, which in certain cases can reach the level of maltreatment. Such a warning does not appear in the video material”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

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