Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center release the joint statement on application of alleged disproportional police force while detaining Piruz Tsulukidze and Temur Bakhuntaridze and on their religious discrimination.  

Tsulukidze’s and Bakhuntaridze’s case attracted public interest before their detention, when on August 10, 2013 information was disseminated on Interior Ministry’s prohibition to send P. Tsulukidze, the sportsman to the European Tournament. (Information released on media).

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) makes a statement on wide scale pardoning initiative of the President of Georgia (extinguishing of previous convictions, additional punishments and probation sentences).

Tomorrow, on September 5, on behalf of Salome Zourabishvili GYLA will apply to the administrative board of Tbilisi City Court for invalidation of the resolution #64/2013 of the chairman of the Central Election Commission refusing to register Salome Zourabishvili as a candidate for the 2013 presidential elections.

The Media Advocacy Coalition shares argumentation on alienation of the TV Channel 9 and INFO 9. Furthermore, we as an organization protecting media rights are concerned about the perspective of selling the company in force-majeure since we see the risk to transfer the TV Company in the hands of a politically biased person or a group and to become the propaganda tool. Such decision will affect directly media pluralism as well as media market.  

On September 6, 2013 the general director of the Public Broadcaster was dismissed from the post on the basis of announced mistrust from the side of Board of Trustees of the public broadcaster. As the documents released on the web-page of the public broadcaster illustrate, two members of the Board Nino Danelia and Natalia Dvali were not at the session and were represented by Levan Gakheladze, ex-member of the Board and Mamuka Pachuashvili member of the Board, on the basis of the official power of attorney.

On September 6, 2013 Giorgi Baratashvili, the general director of the Public Broadcaster was dismissed from the office on the basis of announced distrust from the Board of Trustees. Today, Giorgi Baratashvili challenged Board’s decision in Tbilisi City Court. It is already the second case when GMLDC will represent his interests in a court.  

On June 13, 2013 three constitutional drafts were initiated in the Parliament of Georgia and GYLA submitted its opinion to public from the very start.  The organization was actively involved in public discussion of the drafts: GYLA’s representatives attended meetings held in different cities and submitted to public GYLA’s opinions. Today, GYLA submitted to the Parliament the detailed written opinion on Constitutional draft. GYLA evaluates positively the following issues: 

On September 20, 2013 GYLA’s Media Legal Defense Center held a meeting and discussed regulations restricting photo-video recording at the polling place on the Election Day. At the meeting, participants have discussed resolution#42 of the Central Election Commission of September 24, 2012 about imposing restrictions on photo-video recording at the polling place on the Election Day. In addition, GMLDC submitted the results of the implemented inquiry  among the journalists.   

A year ago, on September 18, 2012 mass media disseminated recordings illustrating prisoners’ torture and inhuman and degrading treatment in penitentiaries clearly demonstrating severity and scale of human rights’ violations in penitentiaries. The footage released on September 18 and later, confirmed the practice of ill-treatment previously pointed out by the public defender and NGOs actively. However, the state internal control mechanisms and bodies with investigative and prosecutorial responsibilities were too lenient and there was  absence of political will and action, which consequently encouraged the syndrome of impunity and practice of ill-treatment. 

With the assistance from GYLA’s office individuals dismissed from “Children’s Youth National Center” of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia were restored to work  

A lawyer from GYLA’s office in Tbilisi was representing N.A.’s, A.S.’s and M.Z.’s interests. They worked in LEPL “Children’s Youth National Center”. On December 31, 2012, upon decision of the Center, they were dismissed from the office unreasonably. The employer founded his decision on  Article 37(1d) of the Labor Court which has been interpreted for years in violation of employees’ interests.