Web Portal on Human Rights in Georgia

Witnesses of the prosecutor’s office were questioned at the trial on Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regional governor Tengiz Gunava. They were questioned about the incident where person was slightly injured. According to investigation unit, Tengiz Gunava and his driver had an argument when Gunava wounded his driver Izoria in the leg with his service gun.

One year old Gogita Abashidze died of starvation. Although five-member family lived in extreme poverty, they could not get social aid.  There are 2 more children in the Abashidzes’ family - 2 and 5 years old sister and brother.

On March 22nd, trials on Giorgi Sibashvili’s case, Kakheti region former deputy governor, started at Telavi district Court. Sibashvili is accused under 5 articles. Investigation unit blames him in the abuse of authority, illegal appropriation of state property and peculation that is punishable by imprisonment up to 11 years.

On March 24, Georgian Mental Health Coalition (GMHC) awarded journalists winning the competition “How to improve service of mental health – development of psychosocial rehabilitation and mobile service.”

With the support of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) information about the amount of money transferred to the state budget via plea-agreements became available for the society.

Unofficial process of exchanging ethnic Ossetian prisoners into Georgian people arrested in Tskhinvali prison has already started. Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili told Interpresnews about it and added that dozens of cases were observed where ethnic Ossetians were targeted to political persecution in Georgia.

Businessman Tamaz Elizbarashvili alleged that Tbilisi deputy prosecutor Besik Tkhelidze demanded him to pay 6 million lari with regard to the case that was launched in 2010.

The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy published on 20 March 2013 the annual “neighbourhood package”, consisting of a joint communication making an assessment of the ENP implementation in 2012 a report on the “Partnership for Democracy and Shared prosperity” with Southern Mediterranean, an Eastern Partnership progress report, 12 country reports, including one on Georgia.

Human Rights Center requests the Chief Prosecutor’s Office to study appeal statements of the convicted Mamuka Zarkua and victim Madona Kacharava and start investigation to estimate truth in criminal case.

Family of Kakhurashvili made mortgage agreement on their five-year old child’s property. Later, they decided to sell the house and cover the rest of the loan this way. That is when the family found out that they did not have right to sell the house or make mortgage agreement on it. Kakhurashvilis think that the mortgage agreement was made unlawfully and plan to submit complaint to the court.

The parties aligned in Georgia’s National Front staged a small protest on February 24 against a planned free-economic zone in Tbilisi that will be owned by China’s Hualing Industry and Trade Group.

Eighty-one-year-old Nikolai Khasig was born in Sukhumi in 1932. It was just one year after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin stripped Abkhazia of its short-lived status as a full-fledged republic of the U.S.S.R. and made it a region of Soviet Georgia.

DOES Bidzina Ivanishvili have an international public relations problem? High poll ratings and a commanding majority in parliament suggest his position is secure at home in Georgia. Yet the international press tends to portray a billionaire chief executive who does not understand democracy and wants to crush his foes. As political cohabitation between the Georgian Dream and the United National Movement (UNM) is not working, the country’s image abroad is suffering.

The new Georgian government is on a mission to persuade U.S. officials and lawmakers to help stave off what they describe as a pending constitutional crisis that could derail presidential elections in the U.S.-allied Russian neighbor.

At a trial held on March 19th the Defense and Prosecution presented their introductory speeches. Prosecution talked about factual circumstances of case. Defense Side called the accusations absurd. None of the defendants confess the crime.

Ministry of justice introduced new Labor Code of Georgia where substantial amendments are made. New amendments promote protection of employees’ rights and prevent them from illegal dissmisals from work. Though, Ministry of Justice of Georgia did not fully consider some fundamental recommendations of NGOs and Trade Unions while working on the draft. In particular, a new draft Labor Code does not duly envisage women’s labor rights, employment of people with disabilities and their labor rights.