One of the key directions of GYLA’s activities is monitoring of the operation of law enforcement agencies. Based on the received information we used to demand launch of investigation on the alleged police offences. GYLA especially focuses on the cases where citizens report about physical or other type of violence from the side of law enforcement representative. We regret that in nearly all cases with alleged police offence investigation either did not start or started with delay and was conducted inadequately and ineffectively. Obviously, such attitude creates high risk of increasing such offences. 

Protection of cultural heritage by Law is state’s constitutional obligation. Accordingly, the state shall undertake all necessary measures with a view to protect and maintain it for future generation. 

For the past period media aired actively developments around prehistoric goldmine discovered and examined by German and Georgian scientists on the territory of Bolnisi municipality located on Sakdrisi-Kachagiani hill. Part of the scientists insist on uniqueness of the goldmine considering it the oldest among the discovered, prehistoric gold mines in the world, dated back to IV-III millennia B.C.   

As per the law on "National Regulation Bodies", the public defender shall be selected through the open competition. Nevertheless, the announced competition ended without publication of the competition commission or the list of the applicants. Information on the conducted competition is not available on the official website of the Parliament so far. Furthermore, interviewing process have also been conducted non-transparently.  

For the past two months, the Ukrainian government has been neglecting people’s legitimate and peaceful demands. Moreover, the government adopted the draconian laws restricting civil rights of citizens thus provoking protesters and contributing to escalating mass tension. 

On January 17, 2014 the Ministry of Justice disclosed the settlement agreement and its additional documents made between the successors of Arkadi (Badri) Patarkatsishvili and Georgia in the international arbitration. In the arbitration, A.P.’s family members requested to be given ownership of  “Imedi” TV and that the lease on Mtatsminda Park be reinstated, or in the alternative, sought compensation in the amount of 400 million USD. As mentioned, the arbitration ended with settlement  under certain conditions between A.P.’s successors and Georgia.  

We, Transparency International Georgia, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, believe that the amendments proposed to the Inter-factional Working Group by the ruling party are not enough to create a fair voting system for the upcoming municipal elections.

Yesterday media outlets released a statement of the Minister of Justice saying that “on the very first day of the so-called tractors case I said that I believed in the truth of Kirvalidze and his team before law.”

This has raised the question of whether the Minister of Justice could have had a positive legal influence on criminal proceedings instituted against the defendants if she believed from the very first day in their innocence. 

The undersigned organizations welcome the initiative of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Protection on initiation of the monitoring of Residential Childcare Institutions. According to the information released by the Ministry, the monitoring will cover all the institutions including the children’s homes under the Patriarchate. It aims to determine compliance of the institutions with childcare standards established in Georgia.   

 With assistance from GYLA’s lawyer the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection was ordered to issue normative acts in favor of individuals with disabilities 

According to the released information,  on February 14, 2014 Levan Maruashvili was examined in the prosecutor’s office under the witness status, while prior to interrogation his apartment has been searched. As reported, his examination might be linked to one of the charges submitted against Bachana Akhalaia.