Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) critically appraises an action of the Government to demand lists of clergy and parishioners from non-dominant religious organizations. As EMC considers, with this decision, the state actually forces people to reveal their religious affiliation. “Besides, the state will obtain access to the number of clergy and parishioners, as well as to their places of living. In the circumstances when the trust of religious organizations and communities in the State Agency for Religious Issues is very low and it is considered as an agency connected with security services, it is problematic that the Government attempts to use again control techniques and methods to communicate with religious organizations and interfere in their autonomy”. Read more… Source:emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia welcomes the adoption of Technical Regulations for National Accessibility Standards by the Government of Georgia on December 4, 2020. “It is important that the document is based on universal design principles and defines technical criteria of accessibility of buildings, land and other elements. In addition, the needs of persons with various disabilities are taken into account. The Public Defender continues to monitor issues related to accessibility, as well as the oversight of the introduction and practical implementation of the national accessibility standard”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) responds to the severe humanitarian crisis occurred during last months in Akhalgori and calls on authorities of Georgia to take immediate steps to address it and its grave impact on humans and social aspects, as well as to inform public about planned activities. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. On December 10, 2020, Ekaterine Skhiladze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, took part in the opening of the "Start to Talk" campaign against sexual harassment and abuse of children in sports.  “In her speech, the Deputy Public Defender spoke about the challenges in the field of child abuse in Georgia, including the prevention and detection of sexual harassment, protection of and assistance to victims of sexual violence. She stressed the importance of similar campaigns for breaking taboos, sharing experiences and knowledge, changing attitudes and timely and effectively responding to abuse of children in sports”. Read more… Source: ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. On December 9 and 10, there was conducted an online conference in the format of a virtual study tour, organized by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). “The virtual study tour aimed at sharing experiences on parliamentary openness; Within the framework of the tour, on December 10, Davit Maisuradze, Head of Open Governance Direction at the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), delivered a speech to participants of the conference about the experience of parliamentary openness in Georgia and facilitation of the parliamentary openness process by civil society”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. “Media Advocacy Coalition” member organizations respond to the statement of Nika Gvaramia, Director and a founder of “Mtavari Channel”, in which he stresses that “he has been threatened to be arrested and have his property confiscated”. “We have repeatedly expressed reasonable doubts that Nika Gvaramia is systematically pressured by representatives of the ruling party in different ways due to his critical points of view. On the background of constant criticism of representatives of the authorities against the media that is independent from the Government, we are concerned that the purpose of the criminal persecution, initiated against Nika Gvaramia, is to change the editorial policy of “Mtavari Channel”. This process will have a negative impact on the team of “Mtavari Channel” and the work environment of journalists. We, “Media Advocacy Coalition” member organizations express our support to both Nika Gvaramia and “Mtavari Channel”. We call on international partners to put issues related to safety of journalists and freedom of media on the political agenda, protect Director and a founder of “Mtavari Channel” from obvious threats and political persecution”, - is noted in the statement. Read more… Source: The website of the organization in a social network

Tbilisi. On December 11, the Constitutional Court of Georgia satisfied a lawsuit of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association in regard to the case – “Giorgi Gotsiridze v. the Parliament of Georgia”. “The subject matter of the dispute in the case was the normative content of the first paragraph of Article 1502 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which precluded possibility of temporary placement of posters, slogans, banners by the owner or with the consent of the owner for a short period of time within the framework of a spontaneous action at those sites that are not allocated for such a purpose”. Read more…  Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights House Tbilisi, on behalf of its member organizations, and Human Rights House Foundation find the developments following ISFED’s statement on December 11 alarming, as the statements go beyond healthy debate and criticism and try to discredit not only the organization but the civil society in general. „We believe that after dissemination of the statement, the discussion on this fact has been unhealthy. Instead of discussing specific facts concerning the PVT, statements and actions are seeking to discredit and attach the general activities of the organization and the entire civil society sector, including mentioning possible investigation. The organization has made a public statement about the mistake, which we welcome. ISFED has been monitoring the fair conduct of elections in the country for 25 years and we hope that the organization will be able to continue this important activity in a safe environment and to inform the public about the causes and consequences of the above-mentioned shortcoming“, is noted in the statement.  Full statement... Source: hrht.ge

Tbilisi. Tolerance and Diversity Institute (TDI) publishes the report: Freedom of Religion, Xenophobia, Rights of the Migrants. “The current year has been particularly problematic in Georgia in terms of human rights protection and equality. The Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences severely affected vulnerable groups. The current situation has highlighted a number of systemic problems in the human rights field. The state failed to ensure freedom of religion and belief for all, neglected equality between religious communities, and the separation of religion and the state. The ongoing pandemic intensified the hate speech, which was especially acute towards ethnic Azerbaijani and Muslim citizens. The coronavirus pandemic has further aggravated the social and human rights situation for migrants living in Georgia”, is noted in the report. Read more… Source: tdi.ge

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center has published a collection of analytical documents related to monitoring of supposedly politically motivated cases.  The collection contains 6 analytical documents prepared during 2020: Appraisal of ongoing criminal cases against Giorgi Ugulava; Legal analysis of criminal cases related to June 20-21, 2019 developments; Legal appraisal of ongoing criminal cases against Irakli Okruashvili; Legal analysis of the criminal case against Giorgi Rurua; Legal appraisal of the ongoing criminal case against Nika Gvaramia; Problems related to distance legal proceedings in the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic and the state of emergency. See the collection in full... Source: The website of the organization in a social network

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) publishes a report on a study: Labor relations and social protection during the pandemic. “Population of Georgia was extremely unprepared for the economic crisis entailed by the pandemic. The state policy was not determined while institutions were unable to provide systemic social assistance to affected individuals and families during the pandemic. An anti-crisis social policy, developed at the state level, did not appear sufficient to ensure social protection for people with a significantly reduced income or those left without income at all”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International Georgia publishes the blogpost: Is Georgia a Captured State. “Georgian civil society organizations have talked about the problem of informal governance in Georgia for years. In 2018, this assessment was made even graver when international organizations also began to raise concern about democratic backsliding and signs of state capture. Evidence accumulated by the end of the second term of the Georgian Dream’s governance is sufficient to argue that corruption in Georgia has assumed the form of state capture. As it stands today, a single person keeps a firm grip on Georgia’s executive government that has been made free of democratic checks and balances through weak Parliamentary oversight and an unofficial pact of no interference and mutual support with an influential group of judges in complete control of the judiciary. Without holding any official position of public accountability, Bidzina Ivanishvili has successfully managed to place key Georgian public institutions, including ones supposed to be independent by law, in the service of his private business interests and security”. Read more… Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. On December 8, 2020, the pre-session of the 3rd cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review was held in a virtual format where the representatives of non-governmental organizations and the public defender’s office informed the Permanent Missions to the UN about the human rights situation in Georgia. The delegates also heard specific recommendations that are advisable to be received by Georgia from the representatives of respective countries. IDFI’s Head of Rule of Law and Human Rights Direction – Ketevan Kukava delivered a statement at the Pre-Session and highlighted the issues related to the administration of justice/fair trial and freedom of expression/access to information in Georgia. Ketevan Kukava also suggested specific recommendations that are necessary to be taken into account to eradicate existing shortcomings. Read more… Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Georgian Democracy Initiative presents a report, which aims to provide a brief review of problems and challenges existing in Georgia in 2020 in terms of protection of human rights and freedoms. “The document contains a review of issues related to both civil as well as political rights and the rule of law. In the country, indicators of the degree of protection of both specific constitutional rights and the rule of law are primarily individual cases and developments, which reflect, on the one hand, the will and, on the other hand, the ability of the Government to fulfill its constitutional obligations. It is namely the review of individual cases/developments that a larger part of the document is devoted to”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: gdi.ge

Tbilisi. With the financial support of USAID/PROLoG, Ivane Javakhishvili State University has published a collection of 2020 articles – “Protection of human rights and democratic transformation of the state”. A collection of 2020 articles can be found here... Source: ewmi-prolog.org

Tbilisi. According to the appraisal of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, delegation of the authority by the Parliament of Georgia to the Government of Georgia to determine quarantine measures, leaving a number of vulnerable groups out of the anti-crisis plan of the Government, disregarding human rights in environmental decisions, appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court to their positions through non-transparent and unbalanced procedures, uncertainties in regard to publicness of criminal proceedings, carrying out the 2020 parliamentary elections with violations and other points were among problematic issues during the year. The organization positively appraises amendments made to the Labor Code of Georgia, which have somewhat improved labor rights of those employed. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) publishes an article by Kamran Mammadli: Employment in the public service - Litmus test for a policy on ethnic minorities. “Despite declarative equality assumed in the country, systematic exclusion and structural oppression of non-dominant groups is most evident when it comes to employment in the public service. It should be emphasized that at the central government level, ministries, agencies or LEPLs are characterized by obvious mono-ethnicity. While the share of representatives of non-dominant ethnic groups employed at local self-governments is small compared to a percentage indicator of population living within respective self-governments”, - is stated in the article. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. Together with international partners EU continues commitment to promoting the rights of women, children, minorities and displaced persons, opposing the death penalty, torture, human trafficking and discrimination and developing more inclusive societies. Stay tuned for announcements and stories about human right on social media channels and find out more at… Source: EU’s page in the social network

Tbilisi. The First International Congress on Deaf blindness in Georgia It is a great honor for us to invite you to the First International Congress on Deaf blindness in Georgia: "I can See and Hear through Touch" December 4, 5, 6 of 2020.  Registration is already opened… “Congress's goal is to raise the awareness of decision-makers and the public about deaf blindness and draw their attention to the importance of creating and implementing an adequate management standard for dual sensory loss. For three days, within the framework of planned lectures, discussions, and seminars led by Georgian and foreign experts in this field, the problems faced by deafblind people in Georgia and other countries will be discussed. It will also be an opportunity to exchange international experiences and best practices”. Read more…  Source: The organization’s page in the social network

Adjara. One of the largest cities of Georgia – Batumi - has pledged to join 3000 cities and local communities in over 40 countries in the Child Friendly City Initiative (CFCI), supported by UNICEF. “The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a UNICEF-led initiative that supports municipal governments in realizing the rights of children at the local level, using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as its foundation. It is also a network which brings together government and other partners, such as civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, media and, importantly, children themselves who wish to make their cities and communities more child-friendly”. Read more… Source: www.unicef.org

Samegrelo. UNICEF Representative in Georgia, Dr. Ghassan Khalil visited Shota Meskhia State Teaching University of Zugdidi. “One year ago UNICEF and the university established the partnership to incorporate child rights into curricula. Today the results of this partnership and future plans were discussed at the meeting. We are glad that the Child Rights course is integrated into the University curricula.” Read more… Source: The organization’s page in the social network

Tbilisi. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is annually observed on 3 December to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to take action for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development. The theme this year is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 World”. Read more… Source: The organization’s page in the social network