Tbilisi. Religious associations, members of the Council of Religions of the Public Defender of Geogia, express deep concern and heartache over the frequent baseless attacks on Public Defender Nino Lomjaria and her staff, as well as the ombudsman institution in general. “We consider it necessary to remind everyone that the Public Defender is a constitutional institution; It is its duty to protect, conscientiously, without any bias, people whose rights are violated, people who are under pressure. It is particularly concerning and unacceptable that intolerance, hatred, calls for persecution and violence are often disguised as religion and patriotism, whereas religion and love of country have nothing to do with hatred”. Read more... Source: ombudsman.ge

Samtskhe-Javakheti. The Public Defender is responding to the ruling of the Tbilisi City Court on the lawsuit filed by the Partnership for Human Rights, CSO, relating to the removal of minors from the Ninotsminda orphanage.  The Public Defender considers the immediate enforcement of the court ruling necessary. “The ruling, once again, clearly indicates the real risk and danger that exist in the institution in terms of the protection of children’s rights and requires timely and coordinated action by the state agencies. The Public Defender notes that the situation in the orphanage is not in line with the interests of minors or the relevant standards; the situation is dangerous in terms of the protection of children from violence, their full development, socialization and preparation for an independent life”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Imereti. Social Justice Center examined main demands of participants of the protest in Shukruti and reasons of their disagreement with the company, on the one hand, while on the other hand, circumstances, preconditioning this extensive social and environmental crisis, which preceded the protest in Chiatura Municipality. “Residents and representatives of the company assessed damage differently - in terms of both methodology and coverage of different types of damage. It is important to direct efforts of state agencies and knowledge of industry accumulated therein towards assessment of damage associated with mineral extraction as in case of specific owners, as well as in conjunction with the natural environment of the municipality as a whole. This intervention should be carried out in the form of elaboration of a common standard for damage assessment, which would position possible negative impact of the mining sector more sustainably, fairly and methodically in the area of regulation". Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

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