Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia
ARTICLES
2008-04-29
Reasons Why Gori District’s Local Budget is not transparent.
The Human Rights Centre draws its attention to the faults of the efficient work of the local Gori self-government. Although the Supervision Institution of Self-governments and the Regional Governor promised absolute transparency in the district budget, lack of transparency still plagues the local government.2008-04-29
Police Breached the Rights of MP Candidate and a US Citizen
Lasha Chkhartishvili, Irakli Kakabadze and other members of the Egalitarian Institute (EI) who were arrested on April 23, were released the same day. Lawyers claim that Chkhartishvili and Kakabadze were arbitrarily detained because one of them took part in the ballot for majoritarian membership in the Parliament and the second is a US citizen.2008-04-24
Residential House That Turned into “Asylum”
Adigeni starts from the Meskheti Street, five families
live in the first two-storied residential building in the street. “All
widow and impoverished people live here,” said residents of the
building. Adigeni inhabitants call it asylum for homeless people. Locals recall the construction process of the building:
“The building was built when soviet governments organized mass cleaning
days on Saturdays and employed everybody who was in the street. The
“builders” had no idea how to construct the house…”
2008-04-24
Tbilisi Prosecutor Involved in Blatant Violation of Election Law
Gurjaani Election Precinct # 12 registered Giorgi Ghviniashvili from the United National Movement as a candidate for MP through the majoritarian (single mandate) system and as a result, the Georgian election law has been breached. The Georgian Code of Elections and it requirements that certain demands must be considered by the Central Election Commission, which Ghviniahsivli has not provided proof of resignation to the Precinct Election Commission and the supporting document that he does not work as the Tbilisi Prosecutor.
2008-04-24
Kindergarten Nurses Petition Georgian President and Ministry of Education
Nurses of kindergartens in the Zugdidi region petitioned
the Georgian president, the Minister of Education and Science two years
ago. All three requests were related to introduction of amendments to
the Georgian Organic Law about Local Government. The Zugdidi branch of
the Independent Trade Union of Education and Scientific Activists
continues to demand the authority kindergartens to be assigned again to
the Georgian Ministry of Education.
2008-04-23
A Step Backwards: Judge Konstantine Kublashvili’s Order?
A commission was set up based on the resolution passed by the Chairperson of the Georgian Supreme Court. The Commission published “Guidelines and Recommendations”. Various lawyers think that these recommendations are intended to circumvent Georgian law.2008-04-23
Political Motivated Spike in Murder Rate in East Georgia
Based on the official the statistics of the Prosecutor General’s Office the actual number of registered crimes has been significantly reduced. Moreover, it is officially reported that the number of grave and (especially grave crimes) has been very much reduced. In the same line of reporting, the number of solved crimes has actually increased. A total of 1,960 cases grave crimes were registered in November of 2006; 2007, 1 012 crimes were registered, which is through the month of November. The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the number of grave offenses was also reduced in 2008. However, in spite of all the good news, such figures have not been confirmed by the experts who should know best.2008-04-23
Short Supply of President’s Tractors and Fuel Vouchers
Villagers have started land preparation and cultivation in spite of the fact that most peasants in Akhaltiskhe district have not received their promised fuel vouchers as yet. Many in the district have not had the opportunity to access the farm tractors presented by the Ministry of Agriculture for their district.2008-04-23
Skinny Hunger-Striking Lawyer Arrested
“The detention is designed to our activities, end the protest, and block our struggle for freedom and to put back to sleep those lawyers who are now aware of the problems that we face. In spite of the fact that I am now sitting prison, or even if I was outside; I will still continue struggling in the effort to prove that my arrest is a completely stupid scenario and was designed as a provocation against us,” stated Malkhaz Jangirashvili, lawyer who was arrested on April 21st and now sits in a preliminary detention isolator cell. 2008-04-22
Opposition Complains About “Unequal Conditions” in Gori
Locals are predicting that pre-election campaign among
the candidates of majority membership of the parliament will be too
tough. The opposing sides of the National Movement and United
Opposition was added with yet a third side, Jumber Patiashvili who also
will be participating in the balloting. The Patiashvili’s factor has
turned everything upside down in Gori. The local authority has
panicked. The election HQ of the leading party works very hard and puts
in overtime in trying to land on its feet.
2008-04-22
Doctors vs. Medical Monopoly
“Government must not be mother for somebody but rather a step-mother for others.”
Medical personnel of the Batumi Central Clinic complain about how their hospitals are being flogged off. They take exception to the government claims of “100 new Hospitals.”
Ten hectares of land with adjoining buildings that covers the entire territory of the Central Clinic was sold for symbolic price of 1,000 USD.
2008-04-22
Lawyers against Legislation Amendments
On January 17 2008 amendments were introduced to the
Georgian Procedural Code. The new edition of the Article II, Paragraph
V states the following: “Court shall not accept the suit from the
administrative body unless the petitioner has had the opportunity to
bring the administrative suit to the court only once, which has been
envisaged under the General Administrative Code.” Lawyers aver that
such amendments restrict their freedom to bring appeal cases to the
court, and claim that the Georgian Constitution, as well as standards
of international law is being circumvented, under the various
amendments.
2008-04-22
Website in Four Languages: for Georgian and Abkhazian Users
www.apsni.org already exists
“We must admit to our mistakes,” is the main message of
the Sorry Campaign that has been initiated by the Human Rights Centre.
On April 19 Georgian-Abkhazian website and a hard copy newspaper was
presented at the gallery “Kopala” as PR for the peace and resolution
initiative. Although only a short time has passed since the
presentation, it has already caused some serious outcome as the first
reactions are being voiced.
2008-04-21
Living Homeless in the Expectation of the President’s Resolution
The Jabauris family has been requesting the state to
provide accommodation to and this unanswered request has for been going
on for the last eleven years. Although every three member of the family
are unemployed, and the twelve-year-old Tornike needs an urgent
operation, the government still cannot give the least amount of hope to
the family.
2008-04-18
Police from Zugdidi Beat Sixty-Four-Year-Old Woman
Officers of the Zugdidi Department of the Interior Ministry beat Turfa Gvalia when she tried to find out why her son was detained. The police arrested the woman on a charge of hooliganism after she quarreled with them. According to the Zugdidi District Court’s decision Turfa Gvalia and her son were released from the court room on the same day on April 13 and administratively fined, Now Turfa Gvalia demands damages and that a medical examination be made of her state of health that as a direct result of the beating, and that a criminal investigation be launched against the responsible policemen. She wants them to be held fully accountable under the law. Otherwise she intends to start a hunger-strike in front of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office and to renounce Georgian citizenship.2008-04-18
Georgian Justice “Goes to the Dogs” -- “Hanging” Judiciary System
“I know you are innocent but I cannot help you, sorry. I advise you only one, never let the life to make you into a cruel person,” suggested Ivane Afridonidze, the Judge at the Kutaisi Appeal Court to Giorgi Tskhakaia, who was accused of robbery. The Appeal Court did not amend the initial verdict passed by the Tskaltubo District Court, and now Tskhakaia has been sentenced to nine-year-imprisonment for the crime he did committed.2008-04-17
Abkhazia Way
“Georgia, We Love You,” write Abkhazian Children (in Russian).
“Abkhazia is our land and we must return it - these words are often heard in Georgia. Unfortunately, we speak less about the people than about the larger events that control their lives. When I arrive in Sokhumi I am often asked whether we want Abkhazia if it is empty of the Abkhaz people. And I do not know what to answer because I feel we have not settled ourselves what we in fact want-to get the land back or reconcile with the people,” said Mrs. Esma who was born in Abkhazian family and now she is a mother of Georgian children and lives in Tbilisi.
2008-04-17
Will Pre-Election Censor Work Overtime in Blocking Websites?
“A now close topic for discussion concerns the infamous
conversation between Vano Merabishvili, Georgian Minster of Internal
Affairs and his counterpart, the Azerbaijan Minister of Internal
Affairs. Somehow all links to this discussion have been deleted from
the Internet!!” It would seem that something is wrong, “Then I guessed
that something was wrong, as a quotation from the post of one of former
user of the Tbilisi Forum that wrote about the terrible events of
November 7, 2007.
2008-04-16
Lawyers Suppressed Everywhere in Georgia, Regions too!
Recently, demonstrations of the lawyers in the capital and the one-month hunger strike of Malkaz Jangirashvili, the lawyer who wanted to draw public attention to the plight of justice in Georgia. Human Rights Centre interviewed lawyer Kakha Maghradze in order to find out the plight of attorneys in the Akhaltsikhe District.2008-04-16
Rights of Roma People Are Not Protected At All
Georgian has ratified several international documents and has officially assumed responsibility to protect ethnic minorities wit in its territory, including among other groups is a Roma population. However, the state has not worked out any politician direction to actually protect the security of the Roma and to create a tolerant environment for them within Georgia. They are still arbitrarily arrested, they are still made into virtual slaves, and they continue to under the most unbearable of conditions. Most Roma children are blocked from access to education and from being able to receive adequate medical assistance. OTHER NEWS
U.S. Condemns May 17 Homophobic Violence in Tbilisi
Four Men Arrested in Connection to May 17 Violence
No to Violence – Assembly in Batumi
Georgia Ranked 94th Place among Best Countries to Be a Mother
A Citizen Wounded When Combating Crime in Rustavi
Archive
BLOG
Historic Review of Georgian Political Advertisement
In 2005, American researchers estimated that political advertisements on TV have short (two-week) impact on voters. But the result is so rapid andDetailed...
Pre-election Advertisement Promises
Quality and Purpose of Political Advertisements
EDITORIAL
Human Rights Center to Monitor Trials on Former Senior Governmental Officials
How the detention process of former senior officials is going on; whether political motivation is detected in it and will the new initiativeDetailed...
As a result of international oppression, State Audit Office and National Bureau of Enforcement postponed the repressions
The August war- who is guilty?
POLL
How do you think, did the political prisoners, released by the Parliament of Georgia short time ago, deserve freedom?