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

Tbilisi. The Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary calls on the Parliament of Georgia to start working on a reform of the justice system promptly. And ensure that the High Council of Justice is made up of qualified and reliable members. “As it is known to public, one of the key issues of the agreement signed between the Government and the opposition on April 19 is an ambitious reform of the judiciary. Conscientious implementation of terms of this agreement is important for stability of political processes in the country and reduction of severe effects of the current multi-layered crisis. At the same time, work on each clause of the agreement should be carried out with high public involvement and mutual respect of political actors, which goes along also with the spirit of the April 19 agreement”, - is noted in the joint statement. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) responds to developments taking place in Dmanisi and calls on the state to take immediate and effective measures so as to ensure a safe and peaceful environment on the ground. In the opinion of the organization, this requires the Ministry of Internal Affairs to mobilize additional police forces on the ground and high-ranking officials to get engaged in order to defuse the situation. “Last night there was spread information about violence and conflict in Dmanisi, which, at first glance, started on ordinary grounds and further turned into a large-scale confrontation and violence between Svan eco-migrants and representatives of the Azerbaijani community in Georgia”. Read more… Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. On International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) we reaffirm our commitment to supporting equal human rights protections for all Georgians, including members of the LGBTQI+ community.  “As part of our efforts to strengthen the Rule of Law in Georgia, USAID is currently partnering with two organizations, the Equality Movement and the Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, to protect the rights of LGBTQI+ persons. The Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group is providing legal services to members of the LGBTQI+ community who have been victims of hate crimes, discrimination, or violence. The organization is also working to advance legal precedents for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. The Equality Movement is combatting workplace discrimination through evidence-based advocacy and awareness raising activities, working toward a future where Georgia’s labor market is free from discrimination”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page on the social network

Tbilisi. May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. On this day, LGBT+ people, activists and supporters once again remind the public of the importance of equality and call for their solidarity. “Unfortunately, with the increase in the visibility of the LGBT+ community in recent years, the number of violations of their rights has also increased, which is often ineffectively responded by the State. The lack of state policy and vision relating to the rights situation of LGBT+ people encourages human rights violations, including discriminatory crimes, against them. The Public Defender once again calls on the relevant governmental agencies and officials to take effective preventive and responsive actions against alleged crimes and violations committed against LGBT+ people; plan activities to raise awareness of equality in society; make public statements in support of vulnerable groups, including the LGBT+ community”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Imereti. On May 13, a representative of the Kutaisi branch of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association visited the village of Shukruti in Chiatura Municipality, where local population have been protesting for 87 days against irreversible damage that mining activities of the company “Georgian Manganese” cause to the natural and social environment of the village. “During this time, three locals have exercised an extreme form of protest and sewn their mouths shut due to neglect of demands of participants of the action by both the state and mentioned company. According to explanation of residents of Shukruti, the environment has been polluted irreversibly as a result of activities of the company “Georgian Manganese”. Living in the village has become dangerous for locals, as their houses have turned uninhabitable due to damage caused by activities of the company, besides, they cannot use plots of land under their possession for agricultural purposes any longer, thus remaining without income”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) responds to the protest taking place in the village of Shukruti of Chiatura Municipality and makes a special statement.  “On May 11, the 85th day of the protest, several residents of Shukruti exercised an extreme form of protest and had their mouths sewn, however, the mining company, as well as local and central authorities, remain indifferent to their demands. As a matter of fact, the company operates under an indefinite license and is distinguished with opaque practices. Public concerns in regard to extraction causing harm to the natural and social environment of the entire village deserve immediate study and response. Although the protest has started in the fall of 2019, the local Government systematically ignores it, thus leaving the population of the village face-to-face with the mining company, while “Georgian Manganese” avoids its responsibility and, despite verbal promises, refuses to entertain demands”. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

On May 24th the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency are hosting a high-level virtual conversation on emergency measures, fundamental freedoms, and revitalizing civic space in the wake of COVID-19. Available in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Russian. Learn more and register at www.icnl.org

Tbilisi. According to information released by the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, it was the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention on May 11. Whom does the Istanbul Convention protect? “The Convention protects life; It brings hope and a sense of security to millions of women and girls. It makes violence against women public. It supports victims to talk, provides professionals with the opportunity to assist and gives girls and women confidence. It protects people from domestic violence, regardless of how the country legally defines family and marriage. It strengthens respect for women and facilitates equality of girls and women”. Read more... Source: The website of the organization on a social network

Tbilisi. The state is obliged to ensure inspection of a child rights related situation in a Ninotsminda boarding school immediately - the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. “Today, on May 7, by 8 pm, a non-governmental organization “Partnership for Human Rights” received a message from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee issued an interim measure, thus satisfying a May 5 appeal of the organization, and instructed the Government to ensure that a monitoring is carried out at the Ninotsminda boarding school by all relevant agencies”.  Read more… Source: phr.ge

Tbilisi. Women’s Movement and organizations, working on human rights, respond to information spread on a social network in regard to unbearable working conditions of Georgian models and express their solidarity with all people employed in this field. “Unfortunately, systemic violation and neglect of labor rights still remain the biggest challenge in the country, and the fashion industry is no exception. Although modeling is a standard labor activity, which implies full appliance of labor legislation to this category of employees, it is a fact that models in Georgia do not enjoy even basic labor rights: most of them do not have an employment contract and work with an irregular work schedule in exchange for an inadequate remuneration, while in some cases - without any compensation. ...We consider that it requires a systemic approach by the state to ensure protection of labor rights of those employed in the fashion industry. It is necessary to study this issue in depth and ensure strict supervision of implementation of labor legislation in the field”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more... Source: The website of Women’s Movement on a social network

Tbilisi. According to information released by Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI), from May 12, 2021, amendments to the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons are going to enter into force. “Changes also apply to terms of validity of residence permits; Regulations in regard to postponement of the obligation to leave Georgia have also been tightened; It is noteworthy that residence permit procedures become more and more stringent from year to year; It has been quite problematic for foreigners from countries of African and Asian regions to obtain a residence permit even until to date due to unreasonable denials they get, non-transparent procedures for revision of applications and, in many cases, blanket referral to reasons of state security;  This next wave of legislative changes is mainly aimed at creating even more obstacles for representatives of this specific region”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: tdi.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender has published a special report – “Compliance of social and health care programs of self-governing bodies with the principle of equality”, which contains an analysis of compliance of municipal programs with anti-discrimination legislation. “The study found that some programs of local self-governments apply discriminatory criteria in terms of gender, disability, age, marital status and other grounds while determining target beneficiary groups, as a result of which a number of groups are left out of the program. Besides, there are used terms and regulations, which encourage discrimination against different groups and reinforce existing stigmas. In some cases, selection for participation in the program from people with similar needs is done without any justification”. Read more… Source:ombudsman.ge

E-cards cover a variety of important issues about vaccination in the time of COVID-19. The cards were developed in the framework of the EU Neighborhood Policy in cooperation with the World Health Organization and EUvsDisinfo All you need to know about vaccination in the time of COVID-19

Tbilisi. On April 22, 2021, the European Court satisfied a complaint of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) in the case of “Kalandia v. Georgia” and found a violation of Article 6 (1) (the right to a fair trial) of the European Convention. “The case of Kalandia is one of the cases within current legal proceedings of GYLA, which deal with persecution of people on the ground of political motivation, and, in its essence, is similar to the two cases won by GYLA in the European Court – “Tlashadze and Kakashvili v. Georgia” and “Megrelishvili v. Georgia”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Fair Labor Platform releases a statement in regard to International Workers’ Day. "In Georgia, one part of workers meets May 1 jobless, while another part is in dangerous working conditions. The multifaceted and pervasive crisis, occurred as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic, is a proof that the current political and economic system fails to provide a sustainable, fair and secure daily life for workers and their families. The crisis confirms that there is also necessity of fundamental changes and fight for them”, - is noted in the joint statement.  Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) responds to a package of intended changes in legislation on construction initiated at the Parliament of Georgia.  The organization considers that it creates direct risks of criminalization of homelessness and is unequivocally contrary to international standards of human rights.  Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. Social Justice Center (formerly EMC) prepared a report on drug policy trends for 2020. “The report contains a review of a current drug crimes related situation in the field of justice, 2020 statistics on the criminal prosecution of drug crimes and convictions, drug testing, the number of probationers and other relevant issues”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: socialjustice.org.ge

Tbilisi. According to the ruling of the judge Diana Pharkosadze dated 27 April 2021, Rights Georgia’s claim was fully upheld and the court assigned Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to grant humanitarian status to Somalian citizen A.M.A. in Georgia. The applicant was represented by Rights Georgia’s lawyer Rusudan Mchedlishvili. Read more... Source: rights.ge

Imereti. According to information released by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), on April 28, the Tskaltubo Magistrate Court announced an operative part of the decision, according to which “Enka Renewables LLC”, a construction company that builds the Cascade of Namokhvani HPPs, was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 798 of the Code of Administrative Offenses that implies non-compliance of an implementer of activities with terms stipulated by the environmental decision. The court imposed a fine of GEL 5000 on the company as an administrative charge. Read more… Source: gyla.ge