Public Defender says less people address her office for possible abuse by law enforcers

Public Defender of Georgia Nino Lomjaria held a press conference before releasing her office’s annual report on the state of human rights in Georgia

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.

Nino Lomjaria, former deputy head of the State Audit Office and an ex-chairperson of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), has become the new public defender of Georgia.

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 Georgian Public Defender has released its 2018 Human Rights Report, covering all the issues and controversial cases related to human rights of the last year.

The Georgian parliament has approved Londa Toloraia, the former head of Human Rights Department of the Interior Ministry, as the country’s first state inspector to investigate possible crimes committed by law enforcers.

Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has drawn particular attention to ecology and healthcare issues in her 336-page report, presented in parliament earlier today. 

A new, independent agency, the State Inspector’s Office, which replaced the Personal Data Protection Inspector’s Office back in July 2019, will begin its function to investigate possible crimes committed by law enforcers and state officials starting November 1.An event was held earlier today to mark the upcoming launch of the work of the agency and was attended by top Georgian officials. 

Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has spoken about human rights challenges in the country on International Human Rights Day marked today. 

The Georgian Interior Ministry has dismissed allegations by the family of a 15-year-old of allegedly applying psychological pressure at Tbilisi Didube-Chugureti police station last week, which may have led to a suicide attempt by the minor.  

A 15-year-old minor who may have been led to a suicide attempt by psychological pressure at Tbilisi Didube-Chugureti police station last week, is in critical condition after surgery and doctors have him on assisted respiration, announced Edisher Magalashvili, a neurosurgeon at M. Iashvili Childrens Central Hospital.

Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani and Ombudswoman Nino Lomjaria argued with each other in parliament today, during a presentation of Lomjaria’s report on the situation in four prisons of Georgia.The report says that inmates in #2, #8, #14 and #15 prisons are subjected to violence both from the administration and other inmates.The report reads that the influence of the “criminal subculture” in prisons, “the informal running of prisons by criminal bosses, so-called supervisors and others with criminal-mentality” still remains high.

Eight NGOs, including Transparency International Georgia and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, have criticized Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani for releasing a video earlier today which depicts the monitoring process in a prison  by an employee of the Georgian  Public Defender’s Office. 

Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has released her annual report for human rights in 2019, as well as a special report on the June protests in Tbilisi in which she said that the former head of Special Tasks Department of Interior Ministry should be held accountable for abuse of authority. 

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating alleged offenses committed by 11 law enforcement officers in 10 cases, at the request of the State Inspector’s Office between January 1, 2020 and November 17, 2021.