Tbilisi. Web portal on human rights in Georgia publishes an article: Presumable purpose of the leak of the Georgian voters’ data base. “On March 30, news portal Zdnet reported about the hacked data base of the Georgian voters, which was published online. On Saturday, March 28, the personal data of more than 4,9 million citizens of Georgia (including deceased people) were published on a hacker forum (1.04 GB MDB file), which contained such personal data like: first name, surname, place of birth, ID number”. Read more… Source: humanrights.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) publishes a recommendation of the Ombudsperson that was issued by her in regard to cases of Shorena Glonti, Maia Merkviladze and Teona Bakuridze, those dismissed from Adjara TV and Radio of Public Broadcaster. “It is important to note that in her comprehensive recommendation the Public Defender substantially agrees with the legal justification and argumentation, which has been presented by EMC in lawsuits, already submitted in court on all three cases. EMC will share the text of the recommendation with the court soon and we hope that opinions of the Public Defender will further enhance the process of protection of legal interests and rights of Shorena Glonti, Maia Merkviladze and Teona Bakuridze”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

The project will develop Facebook and TV versions of a video based on the World Health Organization’s recommendations. The project will develop Facebook and TV versions of a video based on the World Health Organization’s recommendations. The video is intended to deliver the following messages: Everyone’s efforts have to be directed against the disease and not COVID-positive individuals; People should unite in helping the vulnerable; Discrimination and stigmatization are unacceptable. Read more… Source: ewmi-prolog.org

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) publishes an evaluation of legislative changes adopted in connection with the state of emergency. “First of all, it should be noted that information in regard to the bill was released on March 17, 2020 and registered at the Parliament on the same day, however, it was not publicly available before April 13, 2020, until the Parliamentary Bureau submitted it to the relevant committee for review. During this period there was not ensured introduction of the bill to interested parties and provision of opportunity to submit comments pertaining to it. It should also be noted that the bill was examined only by the Legal Issues Committee and not by the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, participation of which in this process was important. Respectively, the legislative process was carried out in a closed manner and there was no opportunity to participate in it in any way”, - is stated in the evaluation made by the organization. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) responds to an annual report of the State Security Service.  “The organization considers a number of arguments, presented in the document, problematic. These arguments contribute to marginalization of specific groups, enhance the rhetoric of security and control not only in regard to occupied territories, but also in regard to dealing with so-called hybrid threats existing in the country. At the same time, the report contains only superficial and populist information about occupation, counter-terrorism and other sensitive issues, which fact makes it virtually impossible for both the parliament and public to perform effective supervision and monitoring of activities of the agency”, - is stated on the website of the organization.  Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics publishes a guide: Ethical dilemmas while covering the pandemic. “This part of the guide is dedicated to those ethical dilemmas that the media may face while covering a topic of the pandemic”. Read more… Source: www.qartia.ge

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association has released a study – “Standards set by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)”. “The study conducted by GYLA revealed that even in seven years after ratification of the Convention, people with disabilities are still unable to exercise their rights properly. The state has not reflected standards, stipulated by the Convention, in the Georgian legal system. Despite certain steps taken by the state to improve the rights of persons with disabilities, they still face systemic obstacles in almost all areas of public life. They do not have an opportunity to fully enjoy the rights protected by the Constitution and international treaties the same as others do”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

“Media Advocacy Coalition” member organizations consider that persecution and harassment of employees due to their differing views still continue to take place at Adjara Public Broadcaster.  “On April 21, 2020, Giorgi Kokhreidze, Director of Adjara TV and Radio of Public Broadcaster, removed Teona Turmanidze, one of the hosts of a news program “Mtavari”, from the air. As the journalist herself wrote on Facebook, she was told that the reason entailing mentioned decision was a viewpoint posted by her in a social network in regard to the broadcaster”, - is noted in the statement. Read more…  Source: The website of the Coalition in a social network

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) responds to the erection of banners, marking the so called “border”, adjacent to the village of Takhtisdziri in Kareli Municipality, as well as to the fact of unlawful detention of members of the family of Data Vanishvili, a resident of the Khurvaleti village, committed by the de facto regime of Russia and South Ossetia. “It is obvious that the format of negotiations that the Government of Georgia practices with the occupation regimes and the Russian Federation with the participation of international actors is not effective. Today, they do not fully meet humanitarian and security related challenges that local population, residing adjacent to the de facto border on both sides, face. That is why EMC reiterates that the Government of Georgia and international actors have to review existing formats and elaborate new political and legal strategies in order to ensure security and protection of human rights, management of humanitarian crises and regulation of conflicts in these regions”, - is noted in the statement of the organization. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) calls on the Government of Georgia and Tbilisi City Hall to take timely and effective measures to make sure students in need are provided with social protection and support, including arrangement of rental and postponement of tuition fees. “A large number of students are involved in hard precarious work in order to meet their basic social needs (rent, tuition fees, food). Under the conditions of the pandemic most of them lost their jobs, which fact obviously puts them at risk of losing housing and failing to pay tuition fees. In this regard, special attention should be paid to students from Abkhazeti and Tskhinvali regions, as well as to those from regions, cities and villages of which are isolated due to the closure of de facto borders and the quarantine regime”. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. On April 14, 2020 at 14:00, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association conducted an online presentation of a research – “Standards of usage of preventive measures”. “For research purposes local legislation has been analyzed. One of the most important tools while carrying out the research was evaluation of a legislative framework related to preventive measures, implemented reforms and practices developed on the basis of them. The research contains a review of international standards in regard to preventive measures practiced in criminal proceedings, as well as summary of obstacles and best practices that exist in the national jurisdiction in terms of introduction of these standards”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Amid the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus COVID-19, governments have been rapidly introducing new emergency measures. While these measures aim to save lives, they also have a major impact on civil society space and fundamental freedoms. As part of its CSO Meter initiative, ECNL and its partners in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region have been following how the emergency measures taken by governments affect human rights and civic freedoms and how CSOs have responded. Our Briefer summarizes measures taken up to April 5, 2020. Read more… Source: csometer.info

Tbilisi. According to Women’s Information Center, there have been discussed risks of increase of domestic violence cases during the pandemic at a sitting of the inter-agency commission that works on the same issues. The statement, released by the Government, notes that along with economic and social risks, the state controls risks of violence against women and domestic violence. Read more… Source: ginsc.net

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) publishes a blog post by Vakhushti Menabde: Where the homeless go during a curfew. “A curfew means restriction of presence in a public space and it applies to everyone - it does not differentiate between those who have a ceiling and those who do not have the one. After enforcement of such a rule, at 21:00, we enter our houses, but part of people, those who do not have a place to live and sleep in the corners of streets, squares, underground passages, automatically come into conflict with law. Thus, their existence becomes questionable - if these people do not have the right to spend night in a public space, but at the same time they do not have the opportunity to go elsewhere, it turns out that they do not have the right to exist at all”. Read more… Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Find out what recommendations proposed by the Open Society Georgia Foundation to the Government to support citizens remained unemployed mean. “The Open Society Georgia Foundation initiated a policy document, which, based on consideration of international practice and peculiarities of Georgian labor market, offers recommendations to the Government of Georgia to ensure social security of workers temporarily. Presented recommendations apply only to the management of the crisis period and do not focus on fundamental change in the social security system of the country, which requires much more time and effort. In a pandemic, the key principle is to take actions quickly and at the lowest possible administrative cost”. Read more… Source: osgf.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) publishes an article of Karim Ismail translated by Nino Karanadze: Cultural and symbolic resonance of zero tolerance in the modern criminal system. “This article asserts that the increase in punitive crime related measures, such as zero tolerance, is the outcome of a number of social, political, economic and cultural developments, which have transformed nature and social control of crime in the United States and other Western industrial states. Zero tolerance is a metaphor of our time”. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) considers that the decision of “Spar” to leave employees at work throughout all night poses a significant threat to the right to decent work. “According to our information, there are no proper conditions for overnight stay in stores of “Spar” and employees often have to spend the night in places allocated for warehouses. That is why EMC demands an immediate inspection of “Spar””. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. According to information of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, news released by ZDnet on March 30 in regard to publishing the list of voters of Georgia raises a number of question marks. “Information about mass disclosure of personal data of voters 7 months before the 2020 parliamentary elections may be aimed at discrediting both the voters list and the election process itself. Therefore, it is important to conduct a timely and thorough investigation into the possible fact of mass disclosure of personal data of citizens of Georgia in order to find out whether such a fact actually took place or not, published information contains real data on Georgian citizens or not, which databases were made public, how they were accessed and by who”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more…  Source: isfed.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) once again calls on Georgian Public Broadcaster to use its TV air and regularly update non-Georgian speaking population of Georgia regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and its prevention. “The team of the First Channel already spends significant efforts in order to make information available in different languages, however it almost does not go beyond the format of a web platform. It is noteworthy that in the circumstances when the television is often basic source of information in the villages of Marneuli and Bolnisi, main attention should be paid to specifically those mediums that provide the fastest and most comprehensive information updates for non-dominant groups”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) responds to the resolution of the Government of Georgia N204 of March 30, 2020, restricting public transportation in order to reduce spread of the new coronavirus in Georgia. The organization calls on the Government of Georgia to take respective steps to ensure transportation of those employed to their work places.  “Taking into account needs of those employed, on the one hand, while on the other hand, for smooth continuity of economic activities, we urge the Government of Georgia to apply its extraordinary authority and instruct employers to provide their employees with transportation means within the duration of the state of emergency, considering their transfer to and from the work place, as well as to support employers respectively in case it is necessary”, - is stated on the website of the organization.  Read more… Source: emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center submitted a legislative proposal to the Parliament of Georgia, which proposal envisages amendments, to be made to the Law of Georgia – “Imprisonment Code”. “The legislative proposal, in case if it is accepted by the Parliament, should regulate types of disciplinary violations in a new way so as to ensure they are used adequately and proportionately”. Read more… Source: The website of the organization in a social network

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) publishes an article by Mariam Shalvashvili and Aitaj Khalil: Missing needs, interests and history - Problem of teaching Georgian language in the Azerbaijani community of Georgia. “Present critical review evaluates textbooks, designed for Azerbaijani students, in terms of teaching Georgian language as well as historical place and self-identification of Azerbaijanis of Georgia in these texts. The document is essentially based on studies, existing in this area, as well as interviews with focus groups, conducted with Azerbaijani activists in Georgia, and teachers”, - is stated on the website of the organization. Read more… Source: emc.org.ge