EU human rights envoy: Georgia’s penitentiary reform exemplary for other countries
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Stavros Lambrinidis, European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights believes that Georgia could be a good example for other countries with regard of penitentiary system reform.
As Lambardinis has said at a meeting with Georgian Minister of Corrections Kakha Kakhishvili held in Brussels yesterday, Georgia could successfully export the reform to other countries.
"Many countries in the world face similar challenges and they can learn from Georgia’s example. I believe Georgia could be an inspiration for the successful implementation of penitentiary system reform by other countries as well,” Lambardinis said.
Moreover, he has outlined the importance of Georgia’s participation in EU Good Human Rights Stories initiative, as it gives a good opportunity to other nations to implement successful reforms considering Georgian experience.
According to Minister of Corrections Kakha Kakhishvili, Stavros Lambrinidis has recommended to present Georgian achievements in the penitentiary system within the General Debate framework of the UN General Assembly 73rd session since "It would Provide the international community with information on how to implement successful reform in a short period of time.”
The Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Minister of Corrections Kakha Kakhishvili have met today to create a working group, involving the president’s and ministry staff to eradicate the shortcomings in the existing pardon procedure.
The Georgian Minister of Corrections Kakhi Kakhishvili has told the Georgian media that he intends to initiate a draft in parliament to restrict "undesired” phone calls by inmates to ex-wives or wives, if the women address the ministry with such a request.
Georgia’s Ministry of Corrections intends to ask parliament to award tax privileges and other allowances to businesses that open enterprises in prisons.
Georgia’s Minister of Corrections Kakha Kakhishvili says that the ministry plans to carry out unprecedented reforms in 2018 to encourage employment in prisoners that will lead to a decrease of prison terms.
The acting Minister of Corrections of Georgia Kakha Kakhishvili told lawmakers today that a project has been prepared which envisages the building of small prisons in Georgia, which will house 500 prisoners each.
Nearly 800 employees in penitentiary facilities in Georgia will stay at their workplace after their shifts over the following weeks to ensure safety of inmates during the new coronavirus outbreak.
Georgia has handed over 101 Iranian prisoners who were serving their time in the country over to Iran as part of a repatriation effort amid the coronavirus pandemic.