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19.05.2006
Election Administration Reform Proposed
Tbilisi | Liberty Institute members have spoken in favor of changes in the structure and formation rules of Georgia’s electoral administration. The proposed reform package presented by NGO members envisages the formation of a unified system of election administration that would ensure its complete independence from political parties and other interest groups  |
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18.04.2006
Liberty Institute for Speeding Judicial Reform
Tbilisi
At a special press conference today Liberty Institute members continued their campaign for speeding up judiciary reform in Georgia and undertaking a number of institutional measures including the ultimate introduction of jury trials and magistrates. The press conference was held amidst the decision of the Georgian president to withdraw the Prosecutor General from the Supreme Council of Justice. |
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10.04.2006
Imereti Police Chief Accused of Misconduct
Kutaisi | | Members of the Repubilcan Party have accused chiefs of Imereti regional and Bagdati regional police Levan Kakhiani and Akaki Svintradze of torturing detainees and committing number of abuses. According to Liberty Institute’s Imereti officer Nino Gachava, Mikheil Chkheidze, 20 was detained by Bagdati district police on illegal possession of firearms on January 9. |
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30.03.2006
Tutberidze Slams Colleagues
Tbilisi | | Member of the Penal System Monitoring Council Tea Tutberidze has accused other members of the council of misinforming the Georgian public regarding the recent riot in Tbilisi prisons. |
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27.03.2006
Prison Riot Claims Lives
Tbilisi | Riot that took place in prison No 5 resulted in special forces storming the facility and death of seven inmates and wounding of several others.
The riot started on 2am March 27 with inmates attempting to flee the prison. The riot was suppressed by Special Forces unit. Fifth floor of the facility has dramatically suffered as a result. |
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13.03.2006
Merabishvili: "Girgvliani Case Solved"
Tbilisi | | Georgian Interior Ministry has announced arrest of four of its own officials accused of murdering United Georgian Bank’s Sandro Gvirgvliani. Chief of No1 division of the ministry’s Constitutional Order Protection Department Gia Alania, his subordinate officers Avtandil Aptsiauri, Alexandre Ghachava and Mikheil Bibiluri were detained on March 6, Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said. |
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02.03.2006
Kutaisi Appeals Court Under Scrutiny
Tbilisi
Liberty Institute members have accused Kutaisi Appeals Court of breaching procedural norms. As Tea Tutberidze informed at today’s press conference defense lawyers of Aprasidze family (arrested two years ago for kidnappings and illegal storage of firearms in Svaneti) were prevented from attending their trial. As a result, the court made ruling without hearing defense arguments and discussion. |
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25.02.2006
Ombudsman Condemns Minors’ Detention
Tbilisi | | Georgian Ombudsman has condemned detention of minors and accused Tskaltubo police of breaching children’s rights. On February Giorgi Gvelesiani, 6 and his brother, 5 were detained together with their parents Vakhtang Gvelesiani and Mzia Dangadze charged with money extortion. According to the Police, the children were taken in order not to “leave them alone” at home. The children were held at the local police station until 3am. |
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21.02.2006
Policeman Accused of Beating Arrested
Tbilisi | | Liberty Institute has welcomed arrest of Mamuka Jincharadze, member of Batumi Patrol Police accused of beating Jemal Baramidze of Batumi. Liberty Institute earlier revealed the fact and appealed to authorities to investigate the case. |
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20.01.2006
Monitoring Council Demands Investigation
Tbilisi | | Penitentiary System Monitoring Council has appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate fact of beating an inmate in Ksani tuberculosis detention facility. The council members say multiple injuries can be found on body of inmate Gocha Patsuria as a result of excessive use of force by a special police unit when disarming the inmate. |
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27.12.2005
"Thieves in Law" Resist Reform
Tbilisi | | Penitentiary System Monitoring Council members state recent grievances in some of Georgia’s prisons were staged by so called ‘thieves in law’ in their effort to resist reforms launched in the system. The council members offered their support of the Penal Department’s new leadership and expressed hope that the reform will be pushed thoroughly |
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22.12.2005
Justice Minister and Penal Chief Sacked
Tbilisi | | Today Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili announced sacking of Justice Minister Konstantine Kemularia and chief of the ministry’s penitentiary department Shota Kopadze. Chairperson of the department’s Monitoring Council and Liberty Institute’s Tea Tutberidze hailed the move calling it logical. The council long accused Kopadze and Kemularia of mismanaging the system. |
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23.12.2005
Liberty Institute Members Criticize MPs
Tbilisi
Liberty Institute members criticized number of parliamentary majority members and called their obstruction of Public Defender Sozar Subari on religious matters shameful. The MPs attacked part of Subari’s annual report to Parliament where he called for review of a Constitutional Treaty broken between the State and the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2002 to reduce inequality between religious organizations. According to Subari, the treaty does not comply with the Constitution granting superior status to the Georgian Orthodox Church. |
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16.12.2005
Ombudsman: Freedom of Religion by Liberty Institute ‘Fundamental Work’
Tbilisi
Georgian Public Defender’s Office hosted presentation of Liberty Institute’s new publication Freedom of Religion. The book mainly targeted to practicing lawyers, lawyers and judges. The publication covers case law of the US Supreme Court and the European Court for Human Rights, meaning of religious rights and their history. Along with Liberty Institute members Georgian Public Defender Sozar Subari and Supreme Court chairman Kote Kublashvili also attended the presentation. |
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09.12.2005
Monitoring Council Demands Sacking Justice Minister
Tbilisi
Penitentiary System Monitoring Council members say Justice Minister Konstantine Kemularia fails to take charge of situation in the system and demanded prosecuting its chief Shota Kopadze.
So called ‘thief in law’ David Kurasbediani, inmate of one of the prisons was detained when in Tbilisi sulfate baths accompanied by the prison convoy. Members of the convoy were also arrested during the incident. |
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03.12.2005
One Year After Adopting Law on Freedom of Speech and Expression
Tbilisi
Seminar titled Media After Adoption of the 2004 Law on Freedom of Speech and Expression was held on November 29 in Courtyard Marriott Hotel upon Liberty Institute’s initiative and financial support of the Council of Europe. In addition to Georgian media representatives and experts, renowned international experts of media ethics and law—Gent University professor Dirk Voorhoof and Claude Jean Bertrand of Paris University took part in the event. |
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30.11.2005
Liberty Institute Presents Proposals on Self-Government Reform
Tbilisi
At today’s press conference Liberty Institute presented set of proposals regarding new Law on Local Self-Government currently discussed in parliament. The proposals include increase of size and population of a self-governing entity, definition of weight, division of governance system and functions and formation of stable financing system. |
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21.11.2005
TSU Akhaltsikhe Branch Director Sentenced to Four Years Conditionally
Akhaltsikhe | | Adigeni District Court confirmed procedural agreement broken between prosecution and defense of Tbilisi State University Akhaltsikhe Branch director Merab Beridze and sentenced him to four years of conditional imprisonment. Beridze was found guilty of abusing power and corruption—namely illegally training students at military department of the branch and collecting illegal fees of 58,785 GEL. |
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18.11.2005
Kakheti Journalists Accuse Gurjaani Gamgebeli of Pressure
Gurjaani | | Representatives of Kakheti region media accuse acting Gamgebeli of Gurjaani district Akaki Sikharulidze of pressuring and threatening journalists. The journalists were outraged by Sikharulidze’s statement accusing some media representatives of corruption and demanding limiting of their attendance of local administration sessions. Later, Sikharulidze specified that his statements were targeted at editor of Imedi newspaper Gela Mtivlishvili. |
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31.10.2005
Soldiers Accuse Police of Beating
Kutaisi | | Georgian Ombudsman’s representative in Imereti region Giorgi Mshvenieradze has filed complaint to the Prosecutor General’s office accusing Kutaisi Patrol Police of beating seven servicemen of the Georgian Army’s Commando battalion. |
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