Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association and "Article 42 of the Constitution" quit their activities in the working group examining the cases of persons arrested and persecuted on political grounds. The working group was set up on November 1 with the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and Civil Integration. The organizations GYLA and "Article 42 of the Constitution" welcome this initiative, yet, the statement says that the work of the group has revealed number of problems undermining the effective work of the group: working format and timelines do not provide a possibility to thoroughly examine the issue."We believe that it is impossible to prepare full conclusions on the cases of 185 political prisoners and 13 politically persecuted persons within the two-week deadline and the format determined by the group. We are aware that it is not intended to extend the deadline of the working group's mandate, which makes it impossible to examine the issue thoroughly. Despite our several attempts, the format of the working group could not be changed and the agreement on the above could not be reached", – the statement says.Although the organizations quit their activities in the format of the working group, they express readiness to submit their cases and conclusions to the group and assist it in this respect.

Source: gyla.ge