Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) responds to a statement of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia in regard to conducted studies about economic benefits of the Namakhvani HPP, which was released by the Ministry to confirm the existence of a cost-benefit analysis of the project. “The content of the statement of the Ministry confirms that at the stage of preparation of the project, the cost-benefit analysis of specifically the Namakhvani HPP project was not carried out, which fact is a gross violation of requirements of Georgian legislation. The organization calls on the Government and relevant agencies repeatedly to publicize the conclusion of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia on the Namakhvani HPP project and the cost-benefit analysis of the project immediately". Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Member organizations of the “Coalition for Equality” consider that current developments, related to the Ninotsminda boarding school, are alarming and require immediate, strong response from the state. “So far, none of the agencies of the state has expressed its clear position in regard to continuing cases of alleged violence committed against minors and breach of the rights of the child taking place at the boarding school. Besides, the state has not established a democratic work process that would allow the Public Defender to perform monitoring of the situation related to the rights of the child at the boarding school. Moreover, representatives of the Government fail to make any statement regarding deinstitutionalization of large boarding houses and necessary reforms till now, which are important preconditions for protection of both dignified, as well as proper living environment and rights of children residing in these institutions”. Read more… Source: www.equalitycoalition.ge

Tbilisi. Due to high public interest, the office of the Public Defender of Georgia releases a statement in regard to the current situation at the Ninotsminda Children’s Boarding School. “The office of the Ombudsman applied to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia requesting information about alleged criminal facts that took place at the Boarding School. According to information received, an investigation into four criminal cases on facts of alleged violence against minors has been launched in 2016-2021. There is currently an investigation ongoing into 3 cases of alleged violence (Article 126 of the Criminal Code) and one case of alleged rape (Article 137 of the Criminal Code). So far, the office of the Ombudsman does not have detailed information about facts of alleged violence, people and circumstances involved, as well as measures taken and ongoing. The office of the Public Defender has already applied to responsible agencies to clarify the issue”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. On May 27, 2021, Ketevan Shubashvili, Head of the Equality Department of the Public Defender's Office, participated in the Kyiv International Online Forum on Roma Inclusion, which was supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe. She spoke about the problems facing the ethnic Roma population of Georgia. At the end of the meeting, participants supported a resolution calling on the responsible institutions of the counties participating in the forum to protect the rights of the Roma people due to their difficult socio-political situation, and urging national human rights institutions and equality bodies to be involved in the relevant legislative and political processes. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. On June 1, the Human Rights Center submitted a legislative proposal to the Parliament of Georgia. “The legislative proposal is concerning amendments to be made to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia. According to these changes, court reviewing a case of administrative offenses will also assess legality of detention of an accused”, - is stated on the website of the organization on a social network. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Imereti. From the very first days, the Public Defender has been monitoring the events developing in the village of Shukruti, Chiatura municipality, where locals demand fair compensation for the property damaged by the ore mining works carried out by the Georgian Manganese Ltd. The affected citizens also demand the involvement of the State in the process. Given the difficult situation, the Public Defender of Georgia calls on the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development to engage in the negotiations between the Shukruti population and the company as a mediator in order to to protect the citizens' property rights and allow them to live in a healthy environment. The Public Defender continues to study the case in the context of the right to live in a healthy environment, as well as the alleged pressure exerted on one of the protesters. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association releases the statement related to the International Children’s Day. June 1st is International Child Protection Day. This date reminds us once again of the need for the state to take measures that are in the child's best interests and serve to protect the children's right to life, health, education, development, and dignified life. The existence of complex and effective mechanisms to ensure the protection of their rights to a high standard is important for protecting children's rights. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Nino Lomjaria, the Public Defender of Georgia, releases a statement in response to June 1, the International Day for Protection of the Rights of the Child. “On this important day, I would like to assure all children living in Georgia that the Public Defender will always be by their side and protect their rights. Today, when many children live in poverty and experience violence, health, education and development related needs are neglected as never before, it is important to make sure that celebration of this day goes beyond the symbolic burden, while the state takes effective steps to protect their rights. In Georgia, we have been facing the most serious cases of violation of the rights of the child over the years, which fact is mostly related to inefficiency of support services, delayed response of the state, and shortcomings in social and child care programs. Public attitude towards facts of violation of the rights of the child is still uneven, and children are often exposed to violence. So far, responsible agencies do not provide prompt identification of facts of violation of the rights of the child, proper response and support to minors in accordance with their needs”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) releases a statement in response to the professional day of policeman. “It is pity that regardless passage of more than 30 years since obtaining independence, the state has failed to establish a depoliticized, community-oriented and highly trusted law enforcement system that would provide an important basis for protection of human rights, building a peaceful and inclusive social environment, and supporting democratic processes. Reforms, introduced within the police system at different times, were mostly distinguished with their fragmentary and superficial nature. Institutional changes, made in the system, were often peripheral and illusory, rather than fundamental reforms and formation of a democratic and effective police system. As a result, despite numerous reforms carried out within law enforcement agencies, police is not still an essentially politically neutral institution having high accountability and public confidence”, - is noted in the statement of the organization. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) responds to an incident occurred between police and protesters during a rally held by guards of the Rioni valley at the police checkpoint in the village of Gumati, which resulted in detention of 8 participants of the rally. The organization calls on the Government to start a dialogue with organizers of the protest rally in a timely manner and lift unjustified police restrictions that are still in force in the valley. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. On April 22, 2021, the citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran contacted “Rights Georgia” and asked for legal support in application process for the work residence permit. On April 23, 2021, with “Rights Georgia’s” legal assistance the beneficiary submitted the application for the work residence permit to the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA). On May 21, 2021, as a result of the” Rights Georgia’s” legal assistance the PSDA satisfied the application and issued the work residence permit for the Citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran H.S. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. Read the Brief Overview of Recent Developments in the Field of Personal Data Protection published by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information. “This report evaluates the state of the art and progress in implementing the main priorities of the Association Agenda and HR Action Plan related to personal data protection. It also summarizes the significant developments and challenges, identifies possible drives for change, and provides recommendations on the most pressing issues related to data protection”. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) publishes a study: One year of the de facto state of emergency in Georgia and human rights during the pandemic. According to the study, “The Parliament fails to perform an effective control of executive authorities during the pandemic. The curfew does not meet the principle of proportionality. There are questions as to how effective the curfew is in terms of persuading population to stay at home. More than 100 000 fines have been imposed for violation of COVID regulations. About 60 000 of them are unlawful. The amount of fines exceeds GEL 50 million. The process of introduction and enforcement of COVID regulations raises increased risks of violation of fundamental human rights”… Read more… Source:idfi.ge

Tbilisi. The Dean of the Department of Social and Political Sciences of Tbilisi State University (TSU) considered the appeal of the Public Defender's Office and replaced homophobic literature with other textbooks.  The Public Defender’s Office, on the basis of the application of the Equality Movement, studied the mandatory literature of the elective discipline of political culture of the Department of Social and Political Sciences. The study revealed that the educational material contained homophobic content. The Public Defender’s Office appealed to the administration of the department and as a result of constructive cooperation with the Dean, the discriminatory educational material was removed from the mandatory literature. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Samegrelo. UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Ms. Sabine Makhli has visited the Crisis Center for the victims of domestic violence and the survivors of violence in the village of Tsaishi, Samegrelo. “The Crisis Center in Tsaishi was launched in 2019 as a result of cooperation between the non-governmental organization "Sakhli" and the local municipality within the framework of the UN Joint Program on Gender Equality, supported by the Swedish Government. The Crisis Center offers psychological, social and economic assistance, as well as provides rehabilitation, medical, legal and referral services to the victims of domestic violence and the survivors of the violence”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. According to the statement made by the UN Children's Fund, monitoring of remaining large size institutions for children should be carried out by relevant agencies of the country in order to make sure rights of children are fully protected. “In regard to remaining large size institutions for children, there should be developed and strengthened alternative services within the framework of the common strategy for deinstitutionalization. These services should clearly outline relevant goals and objectives, which in turn would facilitate gradual replacement of mentioned institutions with family and community based services. At the same time, all relevant state institutions should be able to conduct monitoring at all sites where children are in order to make sure their rights are protected”, - is noted in the statement of the organization. Read more… Source: www.unicef.org

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) submitted alternative reports to the Parliament, in which the organization appraises individual and general measures taken by the state in order to enforce decisions and rulings made by the European Court of Human Rights against Georgia and, in addition, calls on the state to take specific steps. Alternative reports submitted by GYLA in 2021 touch upon cases of Tsintsabadze and Identoba Group. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center publishes a video of members of the Solidarity Platform, activists of various ethnic and religious groups, expressing their solidarity with defenders of the Rioni Valley. The Solidarity Platform aims to connect activists working in regions populated by religious and ethnic minorities and strengthen their influence and participation in public life. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Signatory organizations call on judges of common courts of Georgia not to hold the XXIX Extraordinary Conference on May 26, at which it is planned to elect 4 judge members of the High Council of Justice of Georgia. “Despite the fact that 9 (4 judges and 5 non-judges) out of 15 members of the Council will have to be re-elected during the 2021 spring session, the Parliament of Georgia has not yet started to work on changing the rule of staffing the Council. In view of this, holding an extraordinary conference and election of judge members of the Council in accordance with the current legislation contradicts the spirit of the April 19 agreement and destroys possibility to make sure judge members of the Council are selected through a fair process, while selected candidates have high public and professional confidence and legitimacy". Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) has presented a document appraising police measures applied during protest rallies carried out against construction of the Namakhvani HPP. The document analyzes how lawful and proportional police coercion measures used by the state were during protests. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Samtskhe-Javakheti. According to information released by the office of the Public Defender, representatives of the Ombudsman revisited the Ninotsminda boarding school for children, however, they again were not allowed to carry out the monitoring regardless of temporary measures issued by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Representatives of the institution did not express willingness to be interviewed and stated an instruction of its head as the reason for it. “Representatives of the Ombudsman also visited a Ninotsminda public school #4. It is noteworthy that no child from the boarding school went to the public school, which fact indicates that the institution was informed by state agencies about the possible visit of the Public Defender. An interview with the principal of the school revealed once again that children attend the school accompanied by supervisors. Furthermore, supervisors remain in the school building during lessons and wait for children there. Regarding this practice, the administration of the school was given a recommendation on the spot as it violates the best interests of the child. The Public Defender of Georgia once again calls on all relevant state agencies to immediately apply temporary measures issued by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and ensure that an independent monitoring body performs its authority at the boarding school”, - is stated on the website of the Ombudsman. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. On May 17, 2021, the Public Defender published Report on Positive Obligations of Law Enforcement Officers to Protect the Equality of Vulnerable Groups. “The report assesses the effectiveness of investigations of alleged hate crimes committed against Jehovah's Witnesses and members of the LGBT+ community in 2015-2020. The report also highlights the recent violations of the freedom of assembly and freedom of expression of LGBT+ persons. At the end of the document, the Public Defender offers recommendations to the law enforcement agencies relating to the measures to be taken to eliminate hate crimes and improve the realization of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly of LGBT+ people”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge