Tbilisi. According to the information of the IDFI Civil society, media organizations and associations, and media outlets of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia disseminated an open statement on taking urgent and necessary measures to restore international law and order and overcome the consequences of the international security catastrophe caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. IDFI is one of the signatory organizations of the statement. Read more… Source: detector.media

Tbilisi. UN Women Country Representative in Georgia, Kaori Ishikawa held a meeting with the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, Tea Akhvlediani. At the meeting, the Women, Peace, and Security agenda implementation in Georgia was discussed, where parties underlined the importance of advancing the work on women’s meaningful participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. From sanctions to military and humanitarian aid - Find all information about EU support to Ukraine on this page. “The sanctions against Russia are the largest in the history of the European Union, and are designed to take a heavy toll on the Russian economy and the Kremlin”. Source: euneighbourseast.eu

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center held a conference on “Inter-community relations, micro-conflicts and an integration policy”. “The purpose of the conference was to actualize challenges related to inclusive society and politics, encourage dialogue on this issue among political, expert and community groups, and propose recommendations for real changes to the state once again”. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. On September 13, 2021, Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender of Georgia, and Lyudmila Denisova, UkrainianParliament Commissioner for Human Rights, visited the village of Khurvaleti during the occupation line. The Public Defender informed her Ukrainian counterpart about the rights situation of the population living in the occupied territories. They talked about general problems, including restrictions on movement, medical and other services. "It seems that the occupation force is acting according to one and the same scenario and plan, but the situation in Georgia is aggravated by the lack of communication at the human and departmental levels, which is obviously the result of Russian pressure. Read more…  Source: ombudsman.ge

Young Georgians and Ossetians from across the conflict divide worked jointly to create over 100 posters, blogs, graphic comics, quizzes, videos, and animations reflecting life in their communities.   The artwork and written stories are presented at the web platform House of Peace, developed by the non-governmental ‘Coalition for IDPs’ Rights’ with support from the European Union in Georgia and UNDP Georgia.  Read more…   Source: The webpage of the organization

Tbilisi. GCSD is honored to share Chatham House publication – “Myths and misconceptions in the debate on Russia”.  The paper encourages Western governments and institutions to reassess their assumptions about Russia in order to develop more effective responses to the increasing challenges the country presents. ‘Effective’ in this context means, in particular, deterring Russian aggression abroad and ultimately securing a less adversarial relationship with Russia without compromising principles of sovereignty and security and the values on which they are based. Read more…  Source: The page in the social network

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center presents an interview with Paata Zakareishvili, Natia Chankvetadze and Giorgi Kanashvili, experts having experience in political and academic work. The topic of the interview is conflict. “A few days ago, the Prime Minister and the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality presented long-term strategic visions for reconciliation and confidence building. The Government of the Georgian Dream has further enhanced the importance of the policy of reconciliation and confidence building at the discourse level, however, it continues to work in this direction with paradigms, tools and methods of the previous Government, and these efforts have not yielded significant political and social results”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. With the support of UN Women, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia organized an information sharing meeting with the CSOs on „Geneva International Discussions and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda“. “At the meeting, the representatives of the women’s CSOs raised issues related to IDP and conflict-affected women and offered specific views and initiatives to Georgian participants of Geneva International Discussions on ways to promote inclusive peace process in the country”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. The Public Defender makes a statement on events developed in Rioni Gorge. The Public Defender calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs: To immediately give the protesters an opportunity to continue their rally at the alternative place suggested by them and if there is a justified reason for refusing to do so, allocate the kind of alternative place close to the desired location, which will not make the rally pointless. To provide the public with detailed information on the reasons and duration of the road closure in the village of Namokhvani. The Public Defender’s Office continues to examine the ongoing events and alleged human rights violations in the Rioni Gorge in detail. Information of the results of the examination will be additionally provided to the population. Read more…  Source: The web-page of the organization

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC), GYLA, and Green Alternative release a statement in regard to developments that took place on April 11 in the Rioni Valley. “The right to freedom of assembly and expression of participants of the rally against Namakhvani HPP has been restricted roughly and unjustifiably”, - is stated by the organizations, - “Besides, we consider that police actions, taken by the Government in recent days, have taken particularly severe and degrading forms, which should be stopped immediately and unconditionally, and actions of the Government should be brought back to the framework of protection of human rights”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org

Tbilisi. On April 7, 2021, rescuers found the bodies of 4 people in the Enguri River. According to the reports, the deceased persons were trying to move from occupied Gali to the territory controlled by the Georgian Government.  The Public Defender expresses her deep sorrow over the accident and offers her sympathy to the families of the deceased and calls on the Georgian authorities to increase pressure on the so-called occupation forces, with the assistance of the international community, in order to achieve the full opening of the so-called checkpoint for the entire population, as well as to revise the 5-day mandatory quarantine measures, which would alleviate the additional barrier to movement for the population of occupied Gali.  Read more…   Source: The web-page of the organization

The EU Spokesperson makes a statement on the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights. “The ruling clearly concludes that after 12 August 2008 the Russian Federation, exercising effective control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, violated several provisions of the European Convention of Human Rights”, - is mentioned in the statement, - “Achieving justice and accountability is an important part of conflict resolution and the EU calls upon the Russian Federation to ensure the proper follow-up of the ruling. The European Union is fully committed to supporting conflict resolution, which also requires efforts to address the legacy of past conflicts”. Read more…  Source: eeas.europa.eu

Tbilisi. U.S. Embassy in Georgia published a statement on Judgement of the European Court of Human Rights. “In the state-to-state case of Georgia v. Russia on the 2008 Russia-Georgia War, the Court ruled clearly in favor of Georgia and found Russia responsible for violating multiple articles of the European Convention of Human Rights, including by detaining and torturing individuals, and denying Georgian citizens the right to return to their homes“, - is mentioned in the statement, - “The Court’s ruling adds further weight to the international community’s demand that Russia cease its blatant violations of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia's attempts to control and exploit the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia through borderization, arbitrary detentions, restrictions of movement across the administrative boundary lines, and establishment of socio-economic and military "agreements” between Russia and the two Georgian regions are particularly concerning and unacceptable”. Read more…  Source: The page in the social network

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center publish an overview of the January 21 decision of the European Court of Human Rights related to the August 2008 war. “On January 21, the European Court of Human Rights published a historic decision on the case of Georgia v. The Russian Federation, which contains an appraisal of issues related to the responsibility of the Russian Federation for practices of breach of human rights during and after the August 2008 war. In regard to this case, the European Court of Human Rights discussed the legal liability of the Russian Federation within the occupied territories for the first time and assumed that Russia has an actual control there due to the deployment of Russian military troops in these territories, political, military, humanitarian support to de facto authorities and agreements signed with them as well as other assistance practices. Therefore, the responsibility for facts of violation of rights in these regions falls within the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. In this case, the European Court found that the Russian Federation breached a number of rights, including those to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, life, the prohibition of unlawful detention, privacy, movement, and property”. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association explains a decision made by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights on January 21, 2021, in regard to violations committed by the Russian Federation during the August 2008 war. The explanation covers all Articles, which Georgia was arguing with Russia about, and the consequences that the Strasbourg decision entailed. In the submitted complaint Georgia was affirming that Russia, applying it as an administrative practice, facilitated/allowed its armed forces and separatist groups under their control to carry out chaotic and disproportionate attacks on civilians and their property. Overall, the complaint concerned the violation of 8 Articles of the European Convention. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) responds to the fact of trespassing by Russian soldiers into Georgian-controlled territory and detention of citizens, fleeing Abkhazia, near the village of Khurcha. The organization calls on the Government to enhance security measures along the occupation line and ensure proper protection of the security of the population living in surrounding villages. “It is critically important to urge: the Government of Georgia to carry out intensive negotiations and take diplomatic actions in order to restore traffic regime with occupied regions and lift arbitrary restrictions on freedom of movement; the Government of Georgia to take additional political and diplomatic actions so as to establish a regular independent monitoring mechanism along dividing lines with the involvement of international actors; the State Security Services and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to provide constant patrolling along dividing lines and surrounding villages in order to ensure the security of population there”, - is noted in the statement released by the organization. Read more… Source: The website of the organization

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) publishes a blog post: Conflict regions and human rights in pre-election visions of political parties - 2020. “The issue of restoring territorial integrity and resolving the conflict has not been left out of pre-election campaigns of political parties, however, they are unable to offer us: Essentially new, transformational approaches that give birth to gradual and realistic visions of conflict resolution. Parties still find it difficult to offer groundbreaking initiatives for resolving the conflict. They have not properly realized reasons for success or failure of such mechanisms in previous years, constantly changing political contexts and attitudes within the occupied territories. They fail to offer us mechanisms, which they are intending to apply to protect human rights at the occupied territories, neither they have a vision for introduction of respective international mechanisms”, - is stated in the document. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) publishes a blog post: Disinformation spread in Armenian and Azerbaijani media in regard to the position of Georgia on the Karabakh conflict.  Despite the fact that Georgia maintains neutrality over the military conflict taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, there is misinformation in regard to the position of Georgia actively spread in Armenian and Azerbaijani media.  Disseminated disinformation includes news about Georgia providing a path to military equipment sent from Turkey to Azerbaijan. There periodically appear Georgian and Russian-language posts, in which Georgia is accused of the above-mentioned action. Following to spread of similar disinformation, the situation in Javakheti has become tense several times. ”While on September 30, Karen Ohanjanyan, an Armenian politician and Leader of the “Republican Party of Nagorno-Karabakh”, posted disinformation of the same content on his Facebook page accusing Georgia of providing a path to military supplies sent from Turkey to Azerbaijan and stated that Javakheti should declare independence from Georgia. The statement of Ohanjanyan is a clear example of the extent of disinformation in regard to Georgia in the Armenian information space”. In the circumstances of an information war, the organization calls on the government to enhance communication with the local population, international partners, make sure they are informed about developments taking place in the region, declare the official position of Georgia on neutrality and steps taken by the country.  Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies publishes a blog post of Zurab Batiashvili, Research Fellow of the organization: Escalation of the Karabakh conflict: Threats and challenges to Georgia. “It is clear to everyone that the Karabakh conflict cannot be resolved easily. Even if the parties reach an agreement on a ceasefire in the near future, it will still be temporary and there will always exist a probability of its violation (as the history of this conflict has already shown us); Respectively, threats and challenges that Georgia might face in regard to the Karabakh conflict are going to be relevant for a long time to come...” Read more... Source:www.gfsis.org

Tbilisi. Georgian public organizations including the citizens of Georgia, ethnic Azerbaijani Armenian activists, as well as activists from other ethnic communities release peace manifesto related to armed confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. "We, the peoples living in the Caucasus region, have the severest experience of brutal wars, conflicts and exile. We have all realized from our own historical experiences that wars are heavy burdens of people’s backs, has the power to destroy and impoverish them, and only brings pain, suffering and frustration. None of the ethnic group or nation in our region has gained victory and development as a result of war. Therefore, we believe, that only cooperation politics, negotiations and peace can bring stability and development to our region. The diversity has always been a feature of the region". Read more... Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association releases a statement in regard to the 12th anniversary of the August war. “The August 2008 war killed hundreds of people, affected many civilians and violated their fundamental rights. Serious and massive violations of human rights and freedoms took place during the war, including facts of ethnic cleansing, premeditated murder of civilians, disappearance, massive destruction of property, forced displacement, assault on civilians, unlawful deprivation of liberty, torture and inhuman treatment. Unfortunately, facts of violation of rights of Georgian citizens continued to take place en masse even after the August 2008 war. After the war, authorities of the Russia, together with de facto representatives of the South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia, actively started a so-called borderization process, which results in violation of rights of population living on the territory controlled by Georgia. In parallel with the borderization, a vicious practice of unlawful and arbitrary detention of people began in the proximity of the occupation line. Every year, hundreds of citizens of Georgia, including women and children, become victims of abduction. As a result, people residing in villages, adjacent to the dividing line, have to live in a fear daily, while their safety and well-being are endangered. Current situation is aggravated by the fact that population lack information about where the so-called administrative border should be. In most cases abductees are detained administratively and released in exchange for a certain amount of money. However, during last years, there is also increase in number of cases of criminal arrests, when detainees remain in captivity for years. In parallel with the vicious practice of unlawful detention at the so-called administrative border, we also encounter cases of serious violations of human rights, such as deprivation of the right to life and/or bodily harm”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The website of the organization