The ongoing reforms within the Georgian Justice Ministry were discussed on Tuesday by Justice Minister Rati Bregadze and Co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
At the meeting, Bregadze emphasised the importance of cooperation with the PACE Monitoring Committee for the promotion of the rule of law and human rights and noted the state body continued to work to strengthen human rights protection in the country, highlighting the development of the new penitentiary law and strategy, the Justice Ministry said.
The sides reviewed the victories achieved by Georgia in the European Court of Human Rights and highlighted the “sharp decrease” in complaints against the country as a result of the reforms implemented by the Georgian Government and the strengthening of citizens' trust in domestic courts. It was emphasised that ten years ago the ECHR had been examining 3,000 cases against the country, while this year - only 147.
The legislative changes, introduced in the Georgian law last year to meet the European Union’s conditions for granting Georgia its membership candidate status, were also emphasised, which aimed to strengthen the enforcement of the Court’s judgements at the national level.
Bregadze briefed the Co-rapporteurs on the new resocialization and rehabilitation programmes for prisoners, which have been “actively” underway, and highlighted the creation of a digital university for convicts, as well as expanding the employment opportunities for them and developing a sports management strategy.
The Minister also said the new penitentiary facility of the “highest European standards” would be opened at the end of Spring in the small town of Laituri in Georgia's west, with an aim to solve the problem of prison overcrowding.