Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

15 May Tbilisi City Court did not satisfy the appeal of the Prosecutor’s Office on imprisonment of the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Gela Khvedelidze.  The accused has been obliged to pay bail of GEL 5000.

10 out of total 27 Georgian troops, who have sustained injuries in the May 13 attack by insurgents in Shir Ghazay, Helmand province in Afghanistan, were back on duty on May 14, the Georgian Ministry of Defense said.

Sexual minorities are equal citizens of this country and the society will “gradually get used to it”, PM Bidzina Ivanishvili said on Tuesday, when commenting on upcoming rally in Tbilisi center by gay rights activists to mark the International Day Against Homophobia on May 17.

Authorities in breakaway Abkhazia have suspended issuing Abkhaz passports to ethnic Georgian residents of the region fearing that the process might result into, as some Abkhaz officials put it, “Georgianization of Abkhazia.”

May 13 issue of the Rezonansi newspaper relates regarding the ongoing dispute between the journalists of the newspaper and the CEC. The article as well remarks that the DEC of Nadzaladevi district and CEC haven’t granted the application of the journalists. The journalists on their part demand making up of administrative offence protocol regarding the people that had interfered with the correspondents hampering their professional activity and insulted them during the interim elections of April 27.

In order to study Lapankuri Special Operation case Public Defender met with Chechen refugees and representatives of Chechen Diaspora throughout Europe who confirmed the accuracy of information provided in 2012 Parliamentary Report of Public Defender of Georgia.

First Deputy Interior Minister, Gela Khvedelidze, has been arrested and charged with breach of privacy in connection to the case involving leak of a secretly recorded threesome sex video, which purportedly featured a man who has recently been fiercely criticizing some senior officials, including Khvedelidze.

Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, has called on the Georgian authorities in his Easter epistle for adopting anti-abortion law, saying that it would contribute to resolving country’s “grave demographic situation.”

On May 4 Facebook users protested violation of the right to privacy at Rustaveli Avenue.  A special group – No More Footage! – was created on Facebook.

While Georgian Dream parliamentary (GD) majority is determined to override presidential veto on judicial council bill, it has yet to be seen how it will act in respect of another vetoed bill related to restricting defendant’s right in choosing between trial by jury or a judge.

Substantial discussion of Davit Adeishvili’s case at the Telavi district court is underway; Davit Adeishvili is brother of Zurab Adeishvili, former Minister of Justice of Georgia. At the trial on April 30, prosecutor introduced victim Ioseb Gotsiridze as a witness. The latter said that he and his colleagues were intimidated by Davit Adeishvili who compelled them to cancel purchase of Telavi agricultural market.

Parliament, dominated by Georgian Dream coalition, overturned apresidential veto on judicial council bill on May 1 with 91 votes to 26.

Draft-amendments to the Gambling Law of Georgia could not receive 59 votes – necessary for quorum. 46 supporters vs 44 votes – it was results of the ballot at the parliamentary session of May 1. The debates on the draft-amendments lasted more than 1 hour and part of parliamentary majority also did not support it together with parliamentary minority members.

Expert of Levan Samkharauli National Forensic Medical Expertise Paata Jibladze was questioned about the episode where former head of MIA General Inspection Tengiz Gunava is accused of having wounded his driver Kakhaber Izoria.

On April 30, Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili answered questions of the MPs at the session of the Human Rights Parliamentary Committee.

On April 19, Court accepted medical conclusion from the expertise of officer Sergo Tetradze’s body as evidence. Several former senior officials of the penitentiary department and former head of military police Megis Kardava are accused of Tetradze’s death.

Georgian Central Election Commission’s letter to Human Rights Center states that four majoritarian candidates, who lost interim parliamentary elections of April 27, will have their 5 000 lari deposits recovered. In accordance to the old provision in the law, candidates had transferred the sum to the CEC account to get registered in the elections.

Ossetian side raised issue of reconstruction of Tiriponi Channel at the 33th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism Meeting in Ergneti on April 16, 2013. Their representative Khokh Gagloiti spoke about the issue during the meeting.

By midday on February 18, 2013 an explosion occurred in front of the Kaspi police office. At about 6:00 pm police arrested Davit Gabodze, 29, walking in the street. Handcuffed suspect told journalists gathered in front of the police office that he had no idea what he was arrested for. Several hours later, he was accused of the participation in the explosion of that day.