The Minister thanked the Ambassador for his cooperation and talked about future prospects. During the meeting with Hubert Knirsh, Rati Bregadze emphasized the special role of Germany in supporting Georgia's European perspective. The Minister also noted the Ambassador's personal contribution to the issue of deepening the relations between the two countries.

Rati Bregadze expressed hope that the cooperation between Georgia and Germany will become even more intensive and wished Hubert Knirsh success in his future career.

Minister of Justice of Georgia, Rati Bregadze congratulated the employees of the agency on their professional day. The Minister summarized the implemented projects and thanked the employees for their services.

Head of the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation, Lado Kheladze introduced the results of the agency's activities and development vision to the employees. He focused on technological innovations, strengthening the direction of crime prevention, promotion of human resources development, infrastructural renewals and provision of necessary services to the beneficiaries.

Over the past year, a number of promises in the direction of crime prevention and probation have been fulfilled:

The first innovative device in Europe Probbox - an electronic service system for probationers, which provides geographic availability and anonymity of probation services. Currently, Probbox is distributed in the Public Service Halls and municipal buildings in 7 cities of Georgia, and in the future its number will increase to 250;

The renovated office of the Imereti Regional Probation Bureau opened in Kutaisi, and municipal offices - in Zestafon and Terjola. Meanwhile, Gardabani, Sighnaghi, Kaspi and Chkhorotsku probation offices have been located in the Public Service Halls and Community Centers of the same cities; The first regional office of the Juvenile Referral Center also opened in Kutaisi;

With respect to HR development - the number of probation officers increased by 12%, the number of social workers by 26%, and the number of psychologists by 67%. Code of ethics for probation officers has been developed as well;

4 new rehabilitation programs were introduced in the direction of re-socialization-rehabilitation of convicts and ex-prisoners. 577 minors and adults under the age of 21 have been included in diversion programs. The rate of successful mediation was statistically the highest - 67%;

In order to promote the employment of the beneficiaries of the agency, memoranda have been concluded with the State Employment Agency, the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture. After the involvement of persons sentenced to penal labor in the implementation of infrastructural projects and after serving the sentence, for the promotion of their employment, memoranda have been signed with the mayors of different municipalities;

Mobile and 24-hour electronic monitoring teams have been created for effective enforcement of house arrest.

At the end of the event, Deputy Minister of Justice, Buba Lomuashvili and Head of the Bureau, Lado Kheladze awarded the successful professionals with certificates of appreciation.

The event dedicated to the day of the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation was attended by agency employees, deputy ministers of justice, heads of structural units of the ministry, and representatives of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States of America.

The Minister of Justice continues to present the Ministry’s activity reports in the regions. After Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Borjomi and Rustavi, the event was also held in Batumi. Rati Bregadze spoke about the reforms implemented by the Ministry of Justice and fulfilled promises.

Strengthening the direction of human rights protection, legal security and effective services - all the innovations offered by the Ministry of Justice to citizens are united around these three principles. In particular:

The innovative project Mobile Public Service Hall was introduced and is successfully operating in 7 regions; PROBBOX electronic service system for probationers was launched in 6 big cities of Georgia; The reform of systematic land registration started - in 59 municipalities of Georgia, land is being measured and registered step by step, according to the timeframe;

Infrastructural works continue – 5 new public service halls and a community center were opened; Constructions are underway in 6 more municipalities; Additionally, one more Public Service Hall will be opened in Tbilisi, in Hualing; The Samtskhe-Javakheti regional archive building opened in Akhaltsikhe;

The bilingual magazine Iustitia was founded and published; The largest electronic legal database HeinOnline became available to the Ministry of Justice; Memoranda of mutual cooperation were signed with the Ministries of Justice of Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Switzerland;

Notary services have become available in administrative units - Saguramo, Gamarjveba, Martkofi, Shuakhevi, Adigeni, Aspindza, Kachreti, Keda, Khobi, Zestafon, Sighnaghi and Ambrolauri; Soon, citizens will be able to receive online notary services through a mobile application;

In addition, important reforms have been implemented in the penitentiary and probation systems – employment programs for prisoners have been strengthened; encouragement of sports activities in penitentiary institutions continues; Sports fields are being renovated; Regular trainings are in progress, probation bureaus opened in Sighnaghi, Terjola, Kutaisi and Zestafoni; The referral center opened in Kutaisi; Memoranda of cooperation have been signed with municipalities for the employment of persons sentenced with penal labor.

The presentation of the report was attended by the representatives of the government of Adjara, the Deputy Ministers of Justice, the employees of the LEPLs operating under the ministry and invited guests.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia continues to cooperate with higher education institutions. The agency signed the memorandum today with Shota Rustaveli Batumi State University.

Within the framework of the memorandum, students will undergo training at the Ministry of Justice and will acquire the necessary skills to work independently. The Ministry will promote the successful employment of students in the Ministry's system.

The document was signed by Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze and Rector of BSU, Merab Khalvashi.

Also today, Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili delivered a public lecture to students and teachers at Batumi University. The topic of the lecture was the legal security of the country and the legal struggle to protect the sovereignty of Georgia. The Deputy Minister spoke about the importance of the protection of state interests by the Ministry of Justice for the sovereignty of Georgia and the subsequent de-occupation, what legal leverage is provided to Georgia by the Strasbourg Court’s confirmation of the fact of occupation by the Russian Federation, as well as, recognition of the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in the Tskhinvali region; Also, establishing Russia's guilt for killing and torturing Georgian prisoners of war; for inhumane and degrading treatment of military and civilian persons.

The lecture discussed the issuance of arrest warrants by the Hague Court against 3 "high-ranking officials" of the Tskhinvali region, as well as the decision of the Strasbourg Court to exclude or recognize as inadmissible more than 3,300 complaints submitted by the residents of the Tskhinvali region against Georgia, which were filed with the coordination of Russia.

At the end of the lecture, the Deputy Minister of Justice answered the audience's questions.

The event was attended by students, professors and teachers of Batumi State University and Naval Academy, members of the Adjara government and deputy ministers of justice.

The US State Department has published the 2022 report on the fight against human trafficking.

According to the report, with the measures implemented by the states against human trafficking, Georgia still maintains its position on the highest level - in the first tier.

Among the assessed countries, Georgia is among the top 30 countries in the world that fully meet anti-trafficking standards and continuously pursue consistent and coordinated anti-trafficking measures.

With this data, Georgia is ahead of 13 EU member states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia) and is the only one of the Eastern Partnership countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan), which occupies a place in the first tier.

The US State Department emphasizes that Georgia fully meets the requirements of combating human trafficking and, despite the difficulties caused by Covid-19, continues to make strong and sustainable efforts in the direction of combating trafficking, which leads to the country's highest rating.

The US State Department has been positively evaluated following areas:

• Efforts made by the inter-agency anti-trafficking council under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice to monitor the implementation of the national action plan;

• Activities carried out in the direction of raising public awareness of the crime of human trafficking;

• Effective operation of specialized mechanisms responsible for detection/identification of crime victims;

- Availability of victim protection measures and services despite the pandemic.

According to the report, the legislative change, according to which victims of trafficking crimes have the right to receive one-time compensation regardless of the presence or absence of their procedural status as a victim, received special approval.

The guidance documents created by the initiative of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, which are intended for professionals responsible for labor exploitation, forced labor and identification of victims, were positively evaluated.

Georgia's advanced position in the report of the US State Department and the progress achieved in the reporting period in the fight against human trafficking is the result of the effective work of the Interagency Council implementing measures against human trafficking.

The Council is headed by the Minister of Justice of Georgia, and its members include representatives of all relevant state agencies, the Office of the Public Defender, non-governmental and international organizations.

The document envisages the implementation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), raising awareness about it, and fulfilling the obligations undertaken by Georgia at the 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The action plan was discussed today at the session of the Interagency Commission.

The 2022-2023 Action Plan for the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law is a guiding tool for agencies and partners that serves several purposes:

• Study and refinement of the legal framework in terms of taking into account the principles of international humanitarian law;
• Raising awareness about IHL;
• Fighting and preventing sexual violence and gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict periods, disasters and other emergency situations;
• Training of medical and non-medical personnel, operators of disaster management centers in emergency medical services;
• Emergency management and risk reduction;
• Ensuring the strengthening of the security of volunteers; deepening international cooperation.

At the end of the session, the Interagency Commission of International Humanitarian Law held a presentation of a study prepared with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross on persons missing as a result of the armed conflict.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili opened the event. The session was attended by representatives of state agencies, the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Georgia and the Red Cross Society of Georgia.

One of the priority directions of the Ministry of Justice is further improvement of access to state services for citizens. For this purpose, the Minister of Justice and his deputies visited Khashuri. By the end of the year, the population of Khashuri will be able to use up to 470 services of the Public Service Hall.

"Today we introduced a number of pleasant news to the people of Khashuri. First of all, the Public Service Hall, the construction process of which is completely renewed. By the end of the year, the user will have the opportunity to receive all types of state services in one space in a comfortable environment, already available throughout Georgia. In Khashuri, we have also introduced Probbox, which will further contribute to the re-socialization of the offenders. In addition, we have opened the space of mediation, which is important for the development of restorative justice in Georgia", said Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze.

Under the initiative of Rati Bregadze, the construction of Khashuri Public Service Hall has moved to a new stage. The work is going on intensively and is being continued by the new company.

A new branch of the Public Service Hall will be added to Khashuri municipality by the end of the year, and 18 persons will be employed in the Service Hall. In addition to the service hall, a wedding-ritual space with a modern interior will be arranged in the new branch. The building will also house the offices of the LEPLs operating in the sphere of governance of the Ministry of Justice, which until now have been operating in an outdated infrastructure.

Rati Bregadze also visited the new mediation space opened in the Khashuri Probation Bureau, where the needs of the mediation process are fully taken into account. All necessary conditions for communication and negotiation are provided for the parties. In a properly equipped space, it will be easier for mediators to fulfill their duties. Until now, there was no space for mediation in the region, which is why it was necessary to find another space to conduct the process.

Mediation serves to end the existing conflict between the perpetrator and the victim. It is based on the principles of restorative justice and is people-oriented, involving all persons affected by crime, identifying and meeting their needs.

The Ministry of Justice actively actively uses the mediation mechanism. It is an alternative form of juvenile criminal responsibility, which offers offenders to engage in rehabilitation and reintegration into society instead of imprisonment; The successful operation of the mediation mechanism is indicated by the fact that in 2021, 596 appeals for the allocation of a mediator were registered, of which the mediation process with 389 children in conflict with the law was successfully completed.

Currently, mediation spaces are operating in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Khashuri; By the end of the year, it will also be opened in Ozurgeti.

Today, the innovative technological device PROBBOX created for probationers was placed for the first time in an alternative space, apart from the Public Service Hall - in the administrative building of the Khashuri municipality's town hall. The technological device integrates all the services for which the probationers had to pay visits to the probation offices.

Probbox services include: employment offers, information on revocation of probation, submission of an application for relief, communication with a probation officer and booking a video appointment with a convicted person.

Probationers can use Probbox in 7 municipalities at the moment. After Batumi, Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Telavi, Gori and Zugdidi, the device is also available in Khashuri municipality; Gradually, it will be distributed throughout the country.

Rati Bregadze met with his Portuguese counterpart within the framework of the Ministerial of Justice Ministers of EU Member States in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. First Deputy Minister, Tamar Tkeshelashvili was also present at the meeting.

The Ministers of Justice of the two countries discussed concrete initiatives for deepening bilateral relations, including in the fields of electronic services and development of electronic government. The conversation also touched on the process of harmonization of Georgian legislation with EU law.

In addition to the Minister of Justice of Portugal, Rati Bregadze held meetings with the Ministers of Justice of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Greece. In addition to sectoral topics, the topic of discussion with the ministers of justice of the EU member states was the European perspective of Georgia.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze was in Prague to participate in the ministerial meeting of EU member states. One of the discussed topics was the improvement of cooperation in the field of criminal justice.

Ministers of Justice of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine also attended the ministerial meeting.

Rati Bregadze continues to hold bilateral meetings with the ministers of justice of EU member states within the framework of the current ministerial in the Czech Republic. The Minister of Justice of Georgia met today his Greek counterpart.

Rati Bregadze spoke with Kostas Tsiaris about the importance of international relations and expressed hope that the sectoral cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of Georgia and Greece will further deepen.

The parties talked about the possible directions of continuing the relationship.

The Minister of Justice of Georgia proposed to his Greek counterpart to sign a memorandum of cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of Georgia and Greece.

"I am sure that the memorandum will create an excellent platform for further strengthening of our cooperation and will open doors for new initiatives", said Rati Bregadze.

Strengthening international cooperation is a priority direction of the 10-year strategy of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. Since launching the strategy in 2021 to the present, memoranda of mutual cooperation have already been signed with the ministries of justice of Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, and Indonesia.