The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is celebrated on June 26. Every year GYLA celebrates the day with various different activities. 

According to the June 27 media reports, the Ministry of Finances’ (MOF) investigating service restricted the freedom of and took by force officials of Tbilisi City Hall and Sakrebulo to the MOF’s office for questioning. According to the municipal officials, while driving they were forced to pull over by men dressed in civilian clothes, telling them that they were under arrest. The municipal officials were handcuffed, their cell phones taken away and driven to the police department. 

NGOs have released a joint statement about yesterday’s developments in the village of Samtatskaro, urging the authorities to take meaningful actions for ensuring safety of local Musllim population and for conflict resolution. 

I can think of a number of demonstrations over the past few years when the police arrested participants for blocking traffic and violating the public order. However, today, I would like to draw your attention to the latest incident of May 1, 2013 in which the question how the state should keep balance between freedom to peaceful assembly and freedom of movement became topical again.  

On July 1, 2013, the president of Georgia set the date for the upcoming presidential election. According to the President’s Administration first announced October 27 as the date of the presidential elections and later it changed the date to October 31 under the presidential decree. 

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association started monitoring of pre-election period for the upcoming 2013 presidential elections on July 1, 2013, by means of its regional offices in the following seven regions of Georgia: Adjara, Guria, Imereti, Shida Kartli, Kvemo Kartli, Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Tbilisi.  

GYLA has released a statement about draft constitutional amendments proposed by 82 MPs, expressing its opinion about the legal draft.

First and foremost, we a reconvened that the MPs have elaborated the draft without the involvement of public stakeholders. Elaboration of constitutional amendments in a closed format discourages public involvement which we deem necessary in the process of amending the supreme law of the country. 

GYLA welcomes part of the proposed amendments that  strips the Prime Minister off the power to adopt a law without parliamentary consent. According to the 2010 amendments set to come into force (provided they are not modified) following the 2013 presidential elections, the Prime Minister will have the right to establish a linkage between the government’s vote of confidence and the draft submitted to the parliament. Declaring no confidence in government is a complicated process. Failure of the parliament’s vote of no confidence will automatically result in adoption of the legal draft, even if it does not gain any support of the parliament at all.  

In response to the Prime Minister’s statement about Vladimer Bedukadze’s plea agreement, GYLA would like to state the following: we agree with the Prime Minister saying that relieving a perpetrator of torture completely from criminal liability is unacceptable. Further, we believe that modification of court’s verdict in Vladimer Bedukadze’s case is not viable from legal point of view.   

We issue this statement in response to the recent controversy about Akhaltsikhe District Court, involving proceedings brought against former chief of the Interior Ministry’s Borjomi District Division and other individuals. The trial concluded with the court delivering verdict of not guilty on July 3. 

Following the court’s verdict the office of the chief prosecutor of Georgia released a statement about gravity and contents of charges brought against these individuals. The office of the prosecutor also alleged unjustified communication of presiding judge with prosecutor. The Supreme Court responded to the office of the prosecutor, rejecting the allegations, saying that there was no improper communication whatsoever between the judge and the prosecutor. On July 5 a protest rally was held outside the office of the district court, part of which grew into illegal acts. According to the MIA’s statement, subsequent probe has been launched.  

As it has come to light, the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Georgia (MIA) is maintaining a video archive where it keeps secretly recorded videos of personal lives in addition to other recordings. Even though officials have made statements urging the MIA to destroy the archive, the material remains within the Ministry. In view of high public interest and controversy, we, the below signatories deem it important to express legally correct position about the issue.