Guria. Young Pedagogues Union, within the framework of the project “Improved child protection system in Guria and Kakheti” held a training on the topic “Teaching children and adults about child protection issues and ways to respond to them”. These sessions served to prevent violence against children - raising awareness, recognizing violence against children and teaching ways to respond to it. The project is implemented with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and the Hermann Gmeiner German Foundation. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Representatives of the Media Companies and Civil Society Organizations appeal to Mr. Charles Michel, President of the European Council. “On November 2, 2022, the Court of Appeals of Georgia upheld the conviction of Nika Gvaramia, founder and General Director of an independent TV channel Mtavari. It is our strong belief that this is a politically motivated case and charges against him are groundless, as it has been stipulated in the independent opinion presented to the Court by the Public Defender of Georgia and non-governmental organizations. Against the backdrop of grave challenges in judiciary and the Georgian Dream’s aggressive policy against critical media, we do not expect Nika Gvaramia's rights to be defended in the Supreme Court of Georgia. We see Presidential pardon as the only remedy to end his unjust imprisonment. Several political and public groups have already addressed the President of Georgia with the request to pardon Nika Gvaramia. President Michel, you are a staunch supporter of Georgia's democratic development, and we sincerely hope that your call on President Salome Zourabichvili could encourage her to take this step, pardon the General Director of a critical broadcaster and a political prisoner. This would be not only a humane act, but also a significant action for the benefit of our country. President Michel, we are confident that your engagement will be a major contribution to the freedom of the media in Georgia; moreover, it will empower Georgian people in their unequivocal aspirations towards Europe”, is noted in the joint statement. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. On November 2, 2022, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal delivered the verdict in the case of Nika Gvaramia, the former director of the "Rustavi 2" TV company, currently the founder and general director of Mtavari Aharki, upholding Gvaramia’s imprisonment. “The verdict delivered today by the Court of Appeals contradicts European Commission’s requirements for the candidacy status for Georgia, in particular, requirements for pluralistic media environment and an independent and impartial judiciary [4] The case of Nika Gvaramia was included in the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on the freedom of the media and safety of journalists in Georgia.[5] This decision of the court further distanced Georgia from the EU candidacy status and made the European future of our country even more vague. Given the current critical situation, we once again call on the President of Georgia to pardon Nika Gvaramia and play a positive role in the process of Georgia’s integration into the European Union”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. In 2012-2021 the lawyers of Transparency International Georgia won 762 court cases in favor of citizens. "Our lawyers have been supporting people illegally oppressed by the state with free legal assistance for years struggling to defend their rights". Read more... Source: The organization's page on the social network

Tbilisi. Another citizen, Guga Gogadze, dismissed due to staff cleansing conducted by Tea Tsulukiani, won a labour dispute in the Tbilisi Court of Appeal on October 26, 2022. Social Justice Center protects his interests before the court. Social Justice Center and partner organizations continue to provide legal support to illegally dismissed employees of the National Agency for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Museum. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. On October 13, 2022, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) held a roundtable discussion on how to improve legal safeguards and mechanisms for protecting personal data in cyberspace with the participation of personal data and cyber security experts, lawyers, public, private and civil society representatives. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Kakheti. The representatives of the Social Justice Center held a legal aid meeting for the residents of Pankisi Gorge and provided the interested persons with legal advice on issues important to them. The meeting was held with the support of USAID Rule of Law program. According to the local population taking part in the meeting, it is vitally important to have clarity on legal issues and receive qualified assistance, therefore, they welcome such types of meetings. The Social Justice Center continues holding legal aid meetings in different regions of Georgia, including ethnically and religiously diverse cities and villages. Read more... Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. In the village of Adzvi, located in the Gori municipality, the police did not allow Human Rights Center to see the water conduit which according to the locals had been polluted. The NGO sector and media often speak about the unjustified restrictions existing on movements near the boundary line. HRC sent an official letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service. HRC requested a response from the agencies as to why the movement to the villages near the boundary line is restricted and whether there is a relevant normative act regulating the issue. Read more… Source: www.humanrights.ge

Tbilisi. The team of the Social Justice Center celebrated the winning of the 2022 global Max van der Stoel award established by the OSCE’s High Commissioner on National Minorities to honor the contribution to supporting and empowering national minorities. The Max van der Stoel Award, one of the most prestigious titles in the field of Human Rights was established in 2001 for organizations and individuals with an outstanding record of commitment and achievements in supporting ethnic/national minorities in their countries. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. According to the decision of Human Rights Center, from July 18, 2022, all offices of HRC shall be open from 10:00 to 14:00. “The decision was prompted by the desire to increase the motivation of the officers so that after a stressful work week they can have a proper time for rest, while the engagement in the work from the new business week would be much more productive. HRC takes due care of improving the working conditions of the employees. For many years, HRC includes a one-hour lunch break in the 8-hour working time”. Read more… Source: www.hrc.ge

Tbilisi. On July 15, 2022, the Ambassador of the United States of America to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, met with the Public Defender of Georgia. Nino Lomjaria briefed Ms. ambassador on her vision on the role of the Public Defender's institution in the process of implementing democratic reforms, which represents the main prerequisite for European integration, and spoke about the challenges existing in this direction; She also emphasized the importance of the efforts of the United States of America for the development of democratic processes in Georgia. Read more…  Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. On July 13, 2022, an audio recording was released by the media, which described the planning process of the Main Channel programme - Post Factum and contained information about journalists' confidential source. This is not the first case when we learnt about the alleged illegal surveillance of the representatives of the media. The Public Defender is concerned about the reports of alleged unauthorized wiretapping of representatives of critical media outlets, which has a negative impact on the quality of media freedom that has already been deteriorated in the recent period. In this regard, the dangerous and hostile environment created for media representatives, as well as the unjustified control of the content of programmes, is particularly noteworthy. The Public Defender will actively monitor the investigation of the alleged surveillance of the employees of the Main Channel by the Special Investigation Service and calls on the Investigation Service to periodically and proactively inform the public about the progress of the investigation. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia established sexual harassment against a woman employed in CD Company and addressed the director of the company with a recommendation on July 5, 2022, urging him not to harass employees sexually in the future and not to create insulting, humiliating and/or degrading environment for them. Sapari NNLE represented the interests of the applicant in the Public Defender’s Office. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Regions. In June 2022, employees of the Gender Department and the Department on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Public Defender’s Office - Gvantsa Kharatishvili, Mariam Gvidiani, Ana Lobzhanidze and Nino Valikova held information meetings with women living in the municipalities of Kvemo Kartli, Adjara and Imereti, including women with disabilities and persons employed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia. The purpose of the meetings was to raise the awareness of women living in the regions about violence against women and domestic violence, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. At the request of locals, an interdepartmental commission established by the Decree of the Government of Georgia is examining events that transpired in Itkhvisi in March 2022, three months after geodynamic processes damaged residents’ homes in the area. The absence of an independent expert and a local representative in the commission's composition creates mistrust among Itkhvisi’s residents. Doubts are exacerbated by the fact that people are unaware of the commission's methodological approach. Furthermore, before the completion of the commission's work, officials of the local government offered insufficient and legally ambiguous compensation to affected families. The local population requests more information about the commission's work and asks the involved state authorities to ensure the commission's operations are transparent by making its protocols, plans, and deadlines public. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. According to the GDI, exactly one year since the July 5, 2021 violence, the ECHR has started communicating the application submitted by the GDI: “Tbilisi Pride” and others v. Georgia”. The Court considers that the application may become an impact case. “The case concerns the events of July 5, 2021 - homophobic violence, attack and threats against the LGBTQI+ community and activists. Arguing that the Georgian authorities did not act and their response was ineffective, the applicants have requested the European Court find the violation of Article 3 (No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), Article 11 (freedom of assembly), Article 13 (Right to an effective remedy) and Article 14 (enjoyment of the rights and freedoms without discrimination) of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Court has communicated the application regarding each article to the parties. This means that the Georgian authorities must submit their response before October 13, 2022 to all questions asked by the Court. Among those, the Court asks: Did the authorities’ statements made in respect of the pride march exacerbate the violence which erupted on 5 July 2021? Did the state meet its obligation to prevent and effectively investigate violence? The Court has accepted the GDI’s motion and has invited the Government to provide copies of the relevant internal documents concerning the planning of the security arrangements undertaken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in advance of the impugned events. Significantly, the trials at the Tbilisi City Court ended a year after the July 5 events. However, no organizer of the violence has been punished, and those who were found guilty received minimal penalties. GDI is the legal representative of Tbilisi Pride and LGBTQI+ activists at the European Court”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. According to the information of the IDFI the attacks on the informational meetings of the organizers and supporters of the July 3 rally are clearly coordinated and contain signs of a crime under the Criminal Code of Georgia. IDFI calls on: The Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure the peaceful conduct of the public campaigns of the organizers and supporters of the July 3 rally. The Ministry should take preventive and follow-up measures provided by law in order to prevent the aggravation of the background of the July 3 rally and the encouragement of violence. The Special Investigation Service to immediately launch an investigation of the crime under Article 153 of the Criminal Code. Read more…  Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. On June 28, 2022, Giorgi Burjanadze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, met with Bahia Tahzib-Lie, Human Rights Ambassador of the Netherlands, and Maaike van Koldam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Georgia. Giorgi Burjanadze informed the guests of the activities of the Public Defender's Office and the current human rights situation in the country, including the investigation of hate crimes, the right to a fair trial and the rights situation of prisoners and vulnerable persons in Georgia. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Warsaw. A team of law students from the Free University of Tbilisi has won the final of the moot court competition on the rights of people with disabilities hosted in Warsaw today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The competition was the first of its kind organized by ODIHR, together with the Centre for Disability Law and Policy of the National University of Ireland, Galway. Read more… Source: www.osce.org

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia echoes the Pride Week that is due to start on June 28 and emphasizes the importance of ensuring the conduct of events within the framework of the Week in a peaceful and non-violent environment for the proper realization of the rights of the LGBT+ community and their supporters, as well as for the smooth conduct of democratic processes in the country. The Public Defender calls on the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia to: •    take timely and effective measures in order to prevent possible violent actions and protect the participants and organizers of the Tbilisi Pride from any threats coming from the violent groups; •    ensure that all the events scheduled within the framework of the Pride Week are carried out safely and smoothly; take measures to protect the territory adjacent to the Tbilisi Pride office; •    carry out the investigation launched on June 6, 2022 into the alleged threats and violent calls relating to the Tbilisi Pride Week in an effective manner; •    promptly respond to any violations. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Regions. From May 24 to June 13, 2022, the Public Defender’s Office held meetings with schoolchildren living in different regions of Georgia. The aim of the project was to raise children’s awareness of their rights and the mandate of the Public Defender, as well as to provide information about their rights in their relations with the police. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia welcomes changes to the Decree of the Government of Georgia on Social Package, as a result of which persons with disabilities will no longer be restricted from receiving a social package during the implementation of public activities. Read more… Source: www.ombudsman.ge