Tbilisi. Investigative Journalists’ Team “IFact” and TSpress ge, with the support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation, conducted a research of infrastructure projects implemented in 2014 – 2018 years in regions of Georgia. The focus of an initial stage of the research was on problematic projects. As a result of a study of thirty projects it was revealed that 8 were completed but not functioning; 16 were completed but needed to be redone; while 6 were not implemented at all. Read more… Source: https://osgf.ge

Tbilisi. The Special Preventive Group of the Public Defender of Georgia conducted monitoring in penitentiary establishments N2, N8, N14 and N15 in July and August 2019. Visits were made to the largest semi-open and closed facilities.  The systemic and characterizing aspects of each institution were analyzed in a complex manner, based on the information obtained during monitoring.  Read more…  Source: http://ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. Mediacritic ge is a new web platform, which, from now on, offers professional and qualified, impartial media criticism to the public. According to creators of the web platform, the purpose of the new online platform is to promote critical perception of information and, ultimately, a thoughtful and informed choice. The media criticism platform has been created by the Media Academy of the Georgian National Communications Commission in order to promote media literacy. Read more… Source: http://media.ge

Tbilisi. GYLA and EMC release a statement regarding public review of projected amendments to the Namakhvani HPP cascade operation conditions conducted at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. “The ministry grossly violated requirements of both the Environmental Assessment Code of Georgia [1] and the Aarhus Convention [2] while conducting public review on December 20 that was of particular interest to the local population. Despite the fact that Deputies of Ministers of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia attended the meeting, the rule of carrying out of public review was violated in their presence. In particular, artificial obstacles were encountered by those interested in attending the meeting, attendees were not allowed to ask questions, critical questions were not answered at the meeting”, - is noted in the statement, - “We call on the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture to: abolish public review, conducted through gross violation of requirements of the Environmental Assessment Code; set a new date for public review; make sure that public reviews are held in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Code in public spaces accessible for population to be affected; ensure proper involvement of population, to be affected by projects, and other interested people in decision-making process as stipulated by both the Environmental Assessment Code and the Aarhus Convention”. Read more… Source: https://gyla.ge

Adjara. The Constitutional Court of Georgia has accepted a constitutional lawsuit of Zurab Girchi Japaridze to essentially review its part related to constitutionality of Article 266 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia. Positive response of the court to the lawsuit will allow to substantially revise the Code of Administrative Offenses adopted in 1984. The case is carried out by the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association with the support of USAID / PROLoG. Read more… Source: https://gyla.ge

Tbilisi. Civil society organizations release a statement regarding changes to the electoral system presented by the ruling party.  “On December 20, during the fourth meeting on the electoral system conducted between the ruling and opposition parties, Chairman of Parliament voiced a proposal of the ruling party in regard to the change of the electoral system offering to split 150 parliamentary seats into 50 majoritarian and 100 proportional. “Georgian Dream” calls this proposal an “optimal compromised solution” after the failure of an initiative to move to a proportional representation system by 2020. In reality, with the proposal, voiced today, the ruling team advanced further and reiterated its desire to abolish transition to a fully proportional representation electoral system even for the 2024 elections”, - is noted in the statement.  Read more… Source: https://isfed.ge

Tbilisi. The organization “Partnership for Human Rights” presents a handbook – Justice and the rights of the child. The handbook has been developed within the framework of a project “Access to Justice for Children”, implemented with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund and within the framework of an EU funded project “Enhancing Access to Justice and Development of a Child-friendly Justice System in Georgia”. Read more… Source: https://phrgeorgia.wordpress.com

Tbilisi. EMC makes a statement about the challenges in terms of the protection of the rights of religious minorities.  ‘This year, initiatives aimed at worsening the legislative standards and safeguards related to the Freedom of Religion have found their way in the agenda (including the adoption of a special law on religion, ban on Muslim women to wear religious paraphernalia, initiative to scrap military exemptions for the non-dominant religious clerics from joining compulsory military service). These initiatives were suspended largely due to the advocacy by religious organizations and human rights actors’, - is mentioned in the statement.  Read more…  Source: https://emc.org.ge

Ajara. Over 20 representatives of Khulo LAG, local guesthouse operators and interested stakeholders took part in a training on ecotourism and agritourism in Khulo municipality.  The training aimed at raising awareness and defining general standards and requirements of developing agri-farming touristic services in Khulo municipality. The training was provided with the support of EU under ENPARD Khulo project and was conducted by Nata Robitashvili, educational projects manager of ‘’Georgian Ecotourism Association’’.  Read more…  Source: http://enpard.ge

Tbilisi. The Human Rights Center demands timely and effective investigation of alleged crime committed by Chief of Police and other police officers of Lagodekhi. The Kakheti office of the Human Rights Center defends Tariel Sheitnishvili, who got detained by the police administratively on December 1 for resisting police. During the arrest police officers used physical force, as a result of which health condition of Tariel Sheitnichvili was seriously affected.  The Human Rights Center urges Investigative Department of the State Inspector’s Service to timely and effectively investigate the alleged fact of violence and humiliating treatment committed by the police. Read more… Source: http://www.humanrights.ge

Tbilisi. The Public Defender of Georgia addressed the Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia with a proposal relating to the cycle of lectures organized for public school teachers. The Public Defender considers that the cycle of public lectures on History of Religion conducted for public school teachers did not comply with the legal principle of separating public schools from religious associations. It should be noted that both orthodox teachers and representatives of other religions had to listen to orthodox preaching. The importance and priority of orthodoxy over other religions was emphasized at the lecture. Read more…  Source: http://ombudsman.ge

The web portal CsoGeorgia.org releases a weekly newsletter of grants competition, contests, vacancies, fellowships and tenders for civil society organizations and for any interested person. Newsletter... 

Tbilisi. On 18 December 2019, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria met with State Inspector Londa Toloraia to get more information about the factual circumstances of the death of 15-year-old Luka Siradze. The Public Defender considers that the incident is a systemic problem and that the investigative agency violated the Juvenile Justice Code while questioning the teenager. According to her, a hostile and not favorable environment was created for the deceased and other children at the police station; therefore, children could not feel safe, which could be considered as pressure on them. Read more…  Source: http://ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) releases a statement in regard to death of Luka Siradze.  “This tragic case once again reveals systemic challenges that exist at state agencies. Educational and law enforcement agencies have not managed to identify individual needs of adolescents and introduce supporting social and psychological assistance approaches that are tailored to those needs. This case highlights malfunction of education, justice and social support systems as well as weakness of coordination mechanisms among them and methods of mutual empowerment. Obviously, in these circumstances objectives of the “Juvenile Justice Code”, the main principle of which is protection of best interests of a child in the process of justice, remain unachieved. At the same time, the state pays insufficient attention to development of a suicide prevention strategy in general and it implementation”, - is noted in the statement.  Read more… Source: https://emc.org.ge

Tbilisi. On December 18, a study related to amendments made to the Criminal Code in 2009 was published. The event was organized by the Open Society Georgia Foundation and the Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary. The study reveals that criminal justice system of Georgia remains vague on a transformation phase. Such an important element of the Code of Procedure as a jury trial has not yet been fully enacted. Equality of parties while obtaining evidences is not guaranteed as the ability of defense to carry out a case independently and fully is still limited significantly. Read more… Source: https://osgf.ge

Tbilisi. ASB Georgia conducted a closing ceremony of the project – “Education for reintegration - the way to return to society”. The project has been implemented with the support of the European Union since 2017 and its main objective was to re-socialize people being in conflict with law. Along with the official ceremony there was organized an exhibition of products and goods from social enterprises, individual entrepreneurs and penitentiary institutions. At the end of the closure a documentary film “Way to society” was screened. Read more… Source: The website of the organization in a social network

Tbilisi. The Open Society Georgia Foundations has presented two studies. One is about provision of services by the state in regard to taking care of welfare of people and prevention of their homelessness, while the other - describes international standards of eviction and those mechanisms, which offer dignified living conditions to evicted citizens. “Eviction is a problem for a lot of families in Georgia. Due to absence of a proper health care system or other coercive circumstances, people often use their only dwellings as collateral to take credit, thus risking to remain homeless. However, eviction should not be the cause of homelessness if a social security system of the state is human-oriented, meets international standards of eviction and provides appropriate services to citizens”, - is noted in the statement released by the Foundation. Read more… Source: https://osgf.ge

Tbilisi. A lawyer of GYLA was getting familiarized with materials of the case of Luka Siradze at the State Inspector’s Service until late yesterday and the organization is now demanding resignation of Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Minister Nino Tsatsiashvili. “For the time being, materials of the case show that there was exerted pressure on the juvenile by at least three more police officers, who have not been identified yet. Besides, it is confirmed that the teenager was left with just police officers without attendance of parents at the police station repeatedly within various periods of time. This includes the occasion when Deputy Head of the same station talked to the juvenile separately”, - is noted in the statement released by GYLA, - “It is noteworthy that at a special press conference held on December 15, Nino Tsatsiashvili, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs denied facts of separate interrogation of the juvenile and pressure exerted on him at the police station. Political responsibility for the crime committed at the police station lies with Minister of Internal Affairs and Deputy Minister Nino Tsatsiashvili. GYLA demands to dismiss them immediately”. Read more… Source: https://gyla.ge

Tbilisi. On December 17, The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) in partnership with the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) with the support of the European Union (EU) launched the project “Contributing to PAR implementation through Civic Monitoring and Engagement”.  Action Major Activities:  IDFI and GYLA will monitor the implementation of Public Administration Reform, with particular focus on 4 components: policy development, accountability, public finance management, and service delivery in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation process, allowing for evidence-based revision. The assessment will serve as an alternative monitoring report, complementing and verifying the report of the GoG. Once unfulfilled commitments are identified, the project team will examine the principal reasons for failure and propose ways of addressing them.  Monitoring and research results will be stored on this platform. For this purpose, IDFI will create an online monitoring platform - PAR Tracker that will grant the public and all interested stakeholders ready access to comprehensive information about PAR implementation, as well as means to engage in the monitoring process.  GYLA will train 11 local CSOs in at least 6 cities in Georgia (Akhmeta, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi, Poti, and Marneuli), four of which have the self-governing status, while the fifth and sixth are populated by ethnic minorities (Muslim Kists in Akhmeta and Azerbaijanis in Marneuli).  IDFI will study best practices on the most problematic issues identified by PAR Tracker and elaborate policy recommendations, which will be communicated to all relevant stakeholders and decision-makers through workshops and roundtable discussions. Read more…  Source: https://idfi.ge

Shida Kartli. Today Public Defender met with schoolchildren of Shida Kartli Villages to discuss the importance and role of human rights education, as well as the activities and mandate of the Public Defender in this process. The Public Defender discussed the constantly increasing dangers and challenges relating to the protection of human rights, the forms of receiving information about human rights violations and responding to them, as well as supervision of implantation of Public Defender’s recommendations and the mechanism of applying to the Public Defender’s Office. Read more…  Source: http://ombudsman.ge

Tbilisi. The Open Society Georgia Foundation presented today a report of a study, which demonstrates how the state budget is formed and allocated to needs of people with disabilities in 5 municipalities of Georgia. The document describes engagement of people with disabilities and their representatives in the process of drafting local budgets and programs; analyzes effectiveness of budget spending, assistance, services and programs funded for people with disabilities. Along with provision of gaps, the document contains recommendations to the state on how to improve planning of the budget and programs, and increase participation of people with disabilities in this process. Read more… Source: https://osgf.ge

Tbilisi. According to information of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, an investigator involved in interrogation of an injured juvenile appears also in a high-profile case of the so called Kintsvisi special operation. “The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association is engaged in the case of psychological oppression committed by police officers on a juvenile at the police station, which fact supposedly led the teenager to a suicide attempt. On December 16, 2019, in the morning program of the TV Company “Imedi”, explanations regarding the case of the juvenile were given by an investigator Mariana Choloyan who participated in the juvenile interrogation process on December 10 and 11, 2019. According to her, there was no violence against the juvenile. It is noteworthy that the investigator Marianna Choloyan appears also in a case of Nikoloz Goguadze, detained during the so called Kintsvisi special operation on May 26, 2011”, - is stated in the information released by the organization, - “GYLA calls on the State Inspector’s Service: while carrying out an investigation, to thoroughly examine/investigate content and authenticity of explanations given by Mariana Choloyan publicly, especially taking into account the fact that clarifications provided by this investigator in the so called Kintsvisi case and authenticity of compiled documents have not been verified”. Read more… Source: https://gyla.ge