Member organizations of the campaign It Affects You Too held a press conference in September 7, 2012, and released a petition addressed to the authorities.

Member organizations of the campaign It Affects You Too respond to the official statements released by the Ambassador Working Group, The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform and the Coalition for Media Advocacy about the necessity to continue application of must carry and must offer regulations beyond the Elections Day, and the challenge of access to pluralistic information in the country. We believe that

• Enactment of Must Carry and Must offer regulations greatly contributed to equal access to pluralistic media; however, significant part of population has limited access to information;

• The Georgian authorities have not yet expressed their willingness to continue application of the must carry and must offer regulations beyond the Elections Day and corresponding mechanisms for extension of the term of the principles has not yet been created, which poses a serious threat to citizens’ access to information on and beyond the Elections Day;

• Impoundment of satellite antennas owned by various organizations, without sufficient and adequate legal grounds, must be viewed as curtailing public access t information, which contradicts public statements made by the authorities about their readiness to conduct fair elections in Georgia.

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) will monitor the conventions to be held by the United National Movement in ten cities of Georgia on September 8, 2012, in frames of the election campaigning. Representative of the organization will conduct monitoring in cities of Zugdidi, Ozrugeti, Batumi, Ambrolauri, Akhaltsikhe, Kutaisi, Gori, Telavi, Rustavi and Mtskheta. The monitoring will be carried out within the frames of a long-term pre-election monitoring, which entails monitoring of public meetings organized by political parties as well as realization of freedom of assembly and manifestation.

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) responds to websites of local self-governments reporting about activities of the United National Movement, which has recently become an alarming trend. It clearly indicates absence of a boundary between a party and the state at the municipal level, where the principle of non-partisan nature of public service is disregarded.

According to the information researched by us, websites of self-governments are actively coverings party activities related to presentation of candidates by the UNM for the upcoming 2012 parliamentary elections as well as agitation meetings where slogans against opponents are featured abundantly. Frequently, in addition to corresponding information websites also feature photos of the ruling party’s majoritarian candidates. In certain cases, the election number 5, election program, and photo materials with candidate’s name and election banners are posted on the website. Further, in individual cases, agitation against main opposition unions is waged by means of websites of self-governments. We identified total of 14 websites, where materials posted are in conflict with the election legislation. It is noteworthy that websites of municipal self-governments are agitating in favor of the ruling party only, without mentioning opposition parties in positive context.

Repeat elections of the October 1, 2012 parliamentary majoritarian elections to be held on October 14, 2012, will be observed by Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association in all election precincts.

GYLA’s observers will monitor repeat elections in N5 election precincts of Sighnaghi Election District N13; N4 election precinct of Gori N32 Election District; precincts №1, № 2, №3, №8, №9, №10, №13, №45, №46 of Khashuri Election District N35.

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) will monitor the manifestation to be held by the coalition Georgian Dream on September 15, 2012 in Akhaltsikhe.

The monitoring will be carried out within the frames of a long-term pre-election monitoring, which entails monitoring of public meetings organized by political parties as well as realization of freedom of assembly and manifestation.

On September 13, 2012 Eliso Janashia, Editor of the online edition TSpress.ge and journalist Iza Salakaia were visiting the Poti Church under construction for an interview. They were not allowed to film by Archbishop Grigol and other clergymen.

According to Eliso Janashia, the clergymen abused her physically and verbally, forcefully seized her camera and threw it on the ground. The journalist’s claims about disruption of her work and damage of property are confirmed by a video footage. It is further noteworthy that in a written response the clergyman rejects allegations and puts the blame on the journalist.

Freedom of expression, one of the pillars of a democratic society, entails the right to receive and impart information. Asking questions is one of the forms of receiving information for a journalist.

Non-governmental organizations condemn the practice of torture and inhumane treatment at the penitentiary system, and demand immediate investigation and prosecution of the crimes, and holding responsible persons politically liable.

Ill-treatment and investigation of ill-treatment is a problem with the penitentiary system in Georgia, highlighted throughout years by the public defender as well as NGOs. The videos are one of the examples of the problem with the penitentiary system. Therefore, it is unacceptable to view these facts as isolated incidents of torture, organized by concrete individuals.

The problem of inhumane treatment persists not only with the penitentiary but with the system of Interior Ministry as well, as confirmed by acts of mass violence perpetrated by the police arrested in relation to significant political events of May 26, 2011, June 15, 2009 and November 7, 2007.

Non-governmental organizations condemn the practice of torture and inhumane treatment at the penitentiary system, and demand immediate investigation and prosecution of the crimes, and holding responsible persons politically liable.

Ill-treatment and investigation of ill-treatment is a problem with the penitentiary system in Georgia, highlighted throughout years by the public defender as well as NGOs. The videos are one of the examples of the problem with the penitentiary system. Therefore, it is unacceptable to view these facts as isolated incidents of torture, organized by concrete individuals.

The problem of inhumane treatment persists not only with the penitentiary but with the system of Interior Ministry as well, as confirmed by acts of mass violence perpetrated by the police arrested in relation to significant political events of May 26, 2011, June 15, 2009 and November 7, 2007.

Non-governmental organizations condemn the practice of torture and inhumane treatment at the penitentiary system, and demand immediate investigation and prosecution of the crimes, and holding responsible persons politically liable.

Ill-treatment and investigation of ill-treatment is a problem with the penitentiary system in Georgia, highlighted throughout years by the public defender as well as NGOs. The videos are one of the examples of the problem with the penitentiary system. Therefore, it is unacceptable to view these facts as isolated incidents of torture, organized by concrete individuals.

The problem of inhumane treatment persists not only with the penitentiary but with the system of Interior Ministry as well, as confirmed by acts of mass violence perpetrated by the police arrested in relation to significant political events of May 26, 2011, June 15, 2009 and November 7, 2007.

To date, there have been a number of facts of ill-treatment revealed but perpetrators have not been identified and held liable. Approach of investigating authorities is loyal, reinforcing climate of impunity and encouraging the practice. Facts of ill-treatment in Ksani N15 prison that occurred throughout a certain period and was addressed by 700 prisoners of Ksani Prison in a collective petition, have not yet been investigated. Acts of torture in different penitentiary facilities that involved clients of GYLA and other organizations, as well as cases addressed by the public defender in his reports remain uninvestigated. This is just an incomplete list indicating ineffective investigation into alleged ill-treatment.

We would like to respond to the statement made by the President of Georgia on September 19 about torture and inhumane treatment at penitentiary establishments. In his statement the president said that several individuals involved in torture of prisoners must be strictly punished, and certain measures must be carried out in penitentiary system, which as of now means temporarily bringing in patrol police to key penitentiary establishments.

We believe that these measures are inadequate and disproportionate reaction to these terrible and systemic acts of human rights violation, recently witnessed by public. Senior officials who have been directly linked to mass violations of human rights in the penitentiary system have not yet been held politically liable. Neither did President of Georgia address these concerns. Further, the investigation failed to look into the purported guilt of officials who were personally involved in acts of inhumane treatment or failed to take their responsibilities seriously, leaving these terrible acts without a response.

Further, in his statement the president said that the Ministry of Interior Affairs would be tasked with formal supervision of the penitentiary system, while the person in charge of the Interior Ministry has been directly linked to establishing the methods of inhumane treatment and gross and mass human rights violations in the penitentiary system. This is confirmed by the public defender’s report.