Tbilisi. EU and UNICEF Georgia together with the Ministry of Justice summarized the eleven-year results and cooperation of the Diversion and Mediation Programme at the conference yesterday. Find out more… Source: eu4georgia.eu

Tbilisi. On April 4, 2022, the European Parliament published a critical report on Georgia's implementation of the Association Agreement. “Alongside serious setbacks by the Georgian authorities in respecting basic democratic principles and adhering to political commitments over the past two years, the report pays particular attention to the failed justice reform and its implications for Georgia's accession to the European Union. The report, among other challenges, focuses on the strengthening of power over the judiciary and law enforcement agencies by the ruling political force. Recent developments in the report are described as a complete “deterioration with respect to the rule of law””. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Kakheti. On March 29, representatives of the Human Rights Center met the public servants of the Telavi municipality. Aleko Tskitishvili, executive director of Human Rights Center, presented the findings of the HRC’s report „Legal Analysis of the Process of Property Restitution and Citizenship Restoration to Ethnic Ossetians Affected from the Conflict,” which was published with the financial support of the British Embassy in Tbilisi. Read more… ource: www.humanrights.ge

Tbilisi. According to Georgian Young Lawyers Association (Gyla) the following document legally assesses this legislative initiative of the Members of Parliament, in particular, discusses the essence/purpose of the dispute over the competence between the bodies and the mandate of the Constitutional Courts in this part. The assessment is based on the legislation of Georgia, as well as the experience of other countries (including the case law) and various doctrinal sources. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center publishes the statement: Georgia falling short of its obligations regarding the judicial reform under the EU Association Agenda. “On March 3, during the numerous protests in Tbilisi, alongside Ukraine the Georgian government issued an official request of membership to the European Union. However, a mere application cannot be a guarantee of success. Among the obligations under the Association Agreement, the thematic direction of the rule of law, in particular the reform of the judiciary has a vital place. Review of the EU membership application is a complex and lengthy process, which examines the state of fulfillment of the country's international obligations and unwavering respect for the core values of the organization. Despite the statement made, the recent developments in EU-Georgia relations show that the Georgian government is not committed to its stated goals of EU membership, which is primarily reflected in the non-fulfillment of the Association Agenda adopted in 2014. The implementation of the Association Agenda is crucial for Georgia's progress in building democracy, strengthening its institutions and integrating with European structures”, is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Young Lawyers Association believes that the initiation of this bill by the Georgian Dream clearly indicates their attempt of political retaliation against the President and the leverage in the hands of the ruling party - to achieve their party goals by amending the law. GYLA calls on the Parliament of Georgia not to support the adoption of the initiated bill and not to allow the legislation to be adjusted to party interests. The organization also calls on the ruling party to stop using the mechanism of amending the legislation for arbitrary, narrow political purposes, which serves as a personal retaliation against the President of Georgia. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. According to the information of the Ombudsman OSCE/ODIHR Prepared Legal Opinion on Legislative Changes relating to State Inspector's Service at Public Defender’s Request. “According to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, contrary to international standards, the abolition of the State Inspector's Service by the Parliament was hasty and was not preceded by prior consultations. According to the organization, this decision is a dangerous precedent as it poses a threat to the rule of law and effective functioning of independent institutions”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

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. 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. The Coalition calls on the President of Georgia to apply her constitutional authority, veto the legislative amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia on Common Courts adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on December 30, 2021, and return the Bill to the Parliament with a rationale for veto. Read more… Source: rights.ge

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

Tbilisi. According to the Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI), the Constitutional Court provided the organization with information, which discloses that “Merab Turava, Chairman of the Court, does not consider “Aiisa” related information about Judge Manana Kobakhidze, disseminated from so called state security service files, to be credible/authentic, therefore refuses to initiate disciplinary proceedings against her. Whereas, a clergyman publicly confirms the fact of communication with the judge, while according to the same information, Manana Kobakhidze urges the General Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a thorough investigation into the fact. A formal response of the Constitutional Court of Georgia to the submitted petition raises legitimate questions about institutional independence and accountability of the Court. While simultaneous election of Manana Kobakhidze as Chair of the Second Panel further indicates that the court is not committed to protect its credibility, maintain public trust and make similar decisions taking into account constitutional and international standards”, - is noted in the statement of the organization. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

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 Public Defender of Georgia is concerned that the Parliament of Georgia is considering extremely dangerous changes relating to the judiciary in a hastened manner, without sufficient discussion or prior consultation with civil society. “It is inadmissible to devote only 2-3 days to the discussion of such issues, to schedule a committee meeting without publishing the bill and to deprive stakeholders of the opportunity for informed participation in the discussion. We call on the Parliament of Georgia not to support the proposed changes, as they drastically worsen the state of the justice system and the right to a fair trial in Georgia. In case the bill is adopted, we call on the President of Georgia to use the opportunity at her disposal and to return the bill to the Parliament with motivated remarks”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center publishes an evaluation: Security sector, law enforcement system and repressive criminal policy-2021. “Institutional reforms of the law enforcement system, the prosecutor’s office and the police have been substantially suspended this year. Closed style of these agencies and lack of cooperation with civil society organizations continue to be a challenge. The major problem remains instrumentalization of the prosecutor’s office and the police for political purposes as well as use of these bodies to suppress public or political protests”, - is stated in the document. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Social Justice Center publishes an analytical document: April 19 Agreement - another missed opportunity for judicial reform. https://cutt.ly/7YVN7lj “The document contains an evaluation of the state of implementation of those articles from the April 19 agreement, which related to the reform of the judiciary and the Prosecutor’s Office”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) publishes a blog post of Tamar Khukhia, an analyst of the organization, - “Judicial reform in Georgia – a missed opportunity”. “In this circumstance, when the clan has monopolized authority in the judiciary, it is important to carry out fundamental transformation, systemic, even painful reform of the system of justice and not those fragmentary quasi-changes that we have been observing in recent years. Otherwise, the deserved criticism will be even sharper, while consequences – irreversible”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. An organization “Democracy Index” presents a study: “Quality of reasoning of court decisions in Georgia”.  “The purpose of the study is to identify problems and provide recommendations via checking the quality of reasoning of decisions made by common courts in Georgia”.  The study… The project is supported by: USAID-PROLoG - Promoting Rule of Law in Georgia Activity.  Source: democracyindex.ge

Tbilisi. The Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary considers the appointment of four Supreme Court judges by the Parliament to be unjustified and damaging. "The Coalition believes that the existing rules for the selection and appointment of judges are fundamentally problematic, as they do not sufficiently mitigate the risks of internal and external influences on the process. At the same time, the Parliament makes a final decision based on a single-party vote, in the absence of a broad political consensus. Consequently, in this context, the appointment of four Supreme Court judges further reduces the already deficient trust in the justice system". Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender and an organization “Rights Georgia” have published a special report, which demonstrates results of monitoring of legal proceedings carried out at Tbilisi and Rustavi city courts. Project researchers monitored interrogation of women victims of domestic violence in 30 criminal cases. “Insufficient awareness about rights and support services is one of the complications that women victims of domestic violence face during interrogation in court”. Read more… Source: rights.ge

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center publishes an analytical document: “The right to a fair trial in cases of administrative offenses”. “The present document identifies and appraises the problems that have been revealed by the Human Rights Center during its monitoring of trials related to cases of allegedly politically motivated administrative offenses”. Read more… Source: hrc.ge