Georgia’s Public Defender presents Human Rights Protection Report 2016
Tweet 
Share
Today, on December 10 when the world observes Human Rights Day, Georgia’s Public Defender presented his 2016 report on human rights protection in Georgia.
The report said overall the year 2016 had not seen any dramatic deterioration or improvement in the human rights situation in Georgia however several acute problems remained regarding human rights violations.
Positive trends
Georgia's Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili said the Ombudsman's office had reported two well-documented cases of ill treatment in prison to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigations into these cases were launched with the right intention; they were qualified as ill treatment and not as abuse of authority as it used to happen before,” said Nanuashvili.
What must be improved?
Georgia's Ombudsman said no visible improvement had been observed within the judiciary in the year 2016.
He also noted the Public Defender's office had hoped an electronic system of distributing cases would be launched this year but this had not happened.
Other areas that needed improvement were:
- Reducing violence against women
- Reducing hate crime
- Addressing basic human rights violations in Georgia’s two Russian occupied regions
- Enforcing children’s rights
- Enforcing the Labour Code
- Reducing ill treatment of detainees by police
Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organisations to observe December 10 of each year as Human Rights Day.
Georgia will develop and implement a comprehensive policy to abolish the existing social barriers that hinders people with disabilities from their full and effective participation in all spheres of public life.
This year more juveniles were offered preventative sentences rather than prison terms, says Georgia’s Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani.
Fight hate crime is a priority of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, says Georgia’s top prosecutor Irakli Shotadze. Later today he will present a one-year report to the Prosecutorial Office about the challenges and achievements of the Chief Prosecutor's Office.
A prison official in Georgia has been detained for taking bribes and abusing official power.
"A human being is core to democratic statehood and human rights are the greatest achievement of the modern world,” says Georgia’s Prime Minister.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili vetoed a package of bills today known as the "third wave of judicial reforms”, which were presented to him after the Georgian Parliament approved the bill on December 29, 2016.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met with human rights expert Maggie Nicholson who has prepared a progress report on the implementation of Georgia’s Human Rights Strategy 2014-2020.
“Harmful precedent”
The decision of the Tbilisi City Court, by which the right of the employees of Tbilisi Metro to strike has been restricted, is a harmful and dangerous precedent for labour rights, says Georgia’s public defender Nino Lomjaria.
Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria says that less people addressed her office for help in 2018 regarding possible abuse by law enforcers.