As part of ongoing efforts to enhance the rights and services available to convicts and staff, Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze inaugurated new facilities at Penitentiary No. 10 in Ksani.

The newly built infrastructure includes a Public Service Hall, dedicated meeting rooms for lawyers, spaces for both long- and short-term visits, and a video conferencing area.

This upgrade ensures that both inmates and staff can fully access state and private sector services within the institution. The Ksani facility is the sixth penitentiary to feature a Public Service Hall, a project that is unparalleled worldwide.

Convicts at Penitentiary No. 10 will now benefit from improved, comfortable meeting spaces, equipped with the necessary amenities for both long and short visits. The infrastructure aligns with the 2024 Penal Code, which permits inmates to use these meeting spaces free of charge.

Additionally, a new, state-of-the-art storage facility has been installed to better control the introduction of prohibited items. Access to the institution is now further secured with the installation of a modern scanner and a designated room for the physical inspection of visitors.

The inauguration was attended by Deputy Minister of Justice Erekle Gvinianidze, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service Nika Tshvarashvili, and Chairperson of the Public Service Hall Lasha Lobjanidze.

As part of the project, recommendations were developed to enhance the standard for justifying normative acts in the law-making process. The project’s authors conducted a thorough analysis of EU member states’ practices regarding the justification of draft laws, focusing on the forms and mechanisms used in explanatory notes. The research findings were subsequently presented.

The project aims to improve Georgia's legislative process by aligning the standard for explanatory notes with EU practices. The recommendations were prepared by Associate Professor Vasil Gonashvili and Professor Nana Chigladze from Tbilisi State University.

The presentation of the project results was attended by the heads of relevant Ministry departments, representatives from the academic community, and the authors themselves.

Each year, the Ministry of Justice holds a grant competition aimed at encouraging innovation in services, strengthening human rights protection, and enhancing legal security. This year, the Ministry is funding 17 winning projects through the grant program, which aims to foster civil society participation in Ministry activities and support civil initiatives.

The Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze, together with State Trustee Davit Nozadze, Deputy Minister of Justice Erekle Gvinianidze, and Chairperson of the Public Service Hall Lasha Lobjanidze, laid a symbolic capsule at the construction site of a new Public Service Hall branch in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region.

Once completed, residents of Mtskheta will gain access to up to 500 services offered by the Public Service Hall in a modern and comfortable setting.

The new facility will also feature a dedicated wedding hall, providing couples with the opportunity to celebrate their marriage in an elegantly designed space, complete with festive wedding decorations and a ceremonial atmosphere.

The new branch will be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities and will employ approximately 20 people.

It will also house offices of various LEPLs operating under the Ministry of Justice.

This Public Service Hall will be the sixth branch in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, joining existing branches in Kazbegi, Tianeti, Mukhrani, Dusheti, and Pasanauri.

The Mtskheta branch, designed by architect Mikheil Giorgobiani, will cover a total area of 976.9 square meters and will be located near Military Street No. 9.

Expanding access to state services remains a top priority for the Ministry of Justice, which currently operates 121 Public Service Halls across the country.

A scientific conference, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Georgia, marked the centenary of the 1924 People's Uprising. The event was inaugurated by Tea Tsulukiani and Rati Bregadze, along with members of parliament Eliso Bolkvadze, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, and Beka Odisharia.

In his speech, the Minister of Justice of Georgia emphasized the significance of the 1924 uprising in shaping national consciousness. He also announced that documents and materials related to the movement are now available on the website of the National Archives.

The exhibition curated by the National Archives highlights the various forms of the anti-Soviet national movement, including local uprisings, peaceful demonstrations, and appeals to the international community. It also explores the role of the Georgian government in exile, the stages of preparation for the 1924 uprising, its eventual failure, and the subsequent wave of Soviet repressions. Archival materials shed light on the scale of repressions carried out by the Soviet authorities. Additionally, books from Thieri Berishvili's personal collection are featured in the exhibition.

Prior to the conference, the Georgian delegation paid tribute to members of the First Republic of Georgia's emigrant government by visiting their graves and laying flowers in their memory.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili, held a meeting with the delegation from the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).

During the meeting, the Deputy Minister emphasized that combating human trafficking remains a key priority for the Georgian government. He highlighted that the country continuously implements measures in line with international standards, as demonstrated by several international assessments. Georgia consistently ranks alongside EU member states in terms of its efforts to fight human trafficking.

Notably, according to the 2024 U.S. State Department report on human trafficking, Georgia remains in the top tier of countries for the ninth consecutive year. Among 186 countries worldwide, Georgia is ranked at the highest level for its actions against human trafficking. This year, only 33 countries achieved this top-tier status.

Additionally, the Deputy Minister referenced the 2023 report from the Walk Free Foundation, which assesses the Global Slavery Index. The report ranked Georgia 14th out of 160 countries for its proactive steps in addressing human trafficking.

Dzamashvili reiterated the government’s commitment to continuing its efforts in combating trafficking, noting that the recommendations of GRETA would be fully considered moving forward.

This marks the fourth visit of a GRETA delegation to Georgia. The independent and impartial group of experts is responsible for evaluating how states comply with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

During their visit, the GRETA delegation will also meet with representatives from other government agencies, the Parliament of Georgia, the Public Defender’s Office, the judiciary, and various local and international non-governmental organizations.

The Interagency Task Force for Free and Fair Elections (IATF) convened for its sixth session, where members reviewed responses to media monitoring reports and discussed written statements from various election observation missions.

The session was chaired by Deputy Minister of Justice, Tornike Cheishvili, with participation from heads of public agencies that form part of the IATF. Representatives from international and local monitoring organizations, as well as political parties, also attended the meeting.

The Interagency Task Force for Free and Fair Elections (IATF) was established in accordance with the Election Code. Its primary aim is to prevent violations of election legislation by public servants and respond to any infractions. The commission is chaired by Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze.

For inquiries regarding the commission’s activities, the IATF can be contacted via email at iatf@justice.gov.ge or through the hotline: (+995) 599 85 00 11.

The Ministry of Justice's grant program has led to the establishment of an annual International Scientific Symposium at Tbilisi State University's Faculty of Law. The initiative aims to foster both national and international university cooperation, emphasizing the role of doctoral students and young scholars in advancing the field. Additionally, it seeks to address current challenges in human rights protection and explore modern solutions.

The inaugural symposium, titled "Multidisciplinary Aspects of Human Rights Protection in the Context of Global Challenges," was opened by Deputy Minister of Justice, Tornike Cheishvili. The event, structured as a series of panel discussions, focused on critical topics such as administrative law, legal history and methodology, private law, constitutional law, international law, and criminal law—all within the framework of human rights protection.

Notable attendees included Dean of the Faculty of Law of TSU, Tamar Zarandia; her deputy, head of the project, Giorgi Dgebuadze; Participants also featured academic professionals and doctoral students from both Georgia and international institutions.

This international symposium will now be held annually, providing an ongoing platform for intensive collaboration between universities worldwide.

The project was funded through the Ministry of Justice’s annual grant competition, which supports civil society engagement and promotes various civil initiatives. This year, the Ministry is sponsoring 17 projects.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili met Lars Johan Lönnback to discuss avenues for sectoral cooperation with the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

During the meeting, both parties addressed the state's policies and progress in migration management and the fight against human trafficking.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the significance of inter-agency mechanisms led by the Ministry of Justice in combating human trafficking and managing migration. It was noted that these issues are pivotal to Georgia's relationship with the European Union, particularly in the context of visa liberalization.

The meeting also highlighted several initiatives aimed at deepening future cooperation.

Among the attendees were Chair of the State Services Development Agency, Ketevan Betlemidze, Executive Secretary of the Government Commission on Migration, Giorgi Jashi, and Head of the Department of International Legal Cooperation of the Ministry of Justice, Ana Gvinjilia.

The Minister of Justice of Georgia, Rati Bregadze, met with Gustav Talving, the Executive Director of EUROPRIS, to discuss successful reforms in the penitentiary system and explore areas for further collaboration. This meeting took place during the Annual Conference of the European Association of Penitentiary System Training Centers (EPTA), hosted by the Justice Training Center of the Georgian Ministry of Justice, under Georgia’s presidency of EPTA.

Georgia became the head of the organization in 2023.

During the meeting, the Minister and the Executive Director reflected on the positive outcomes of the Tbilisi conference and outlined future cooperation initiatives.

Gustav Talving expressed his gratitude to Minister Bregadze for hosting the event and for the productive partnership between Georgia and EUROPRIS, which has notably strengthened since their meeting in the Hague in May 2023.

The meeting was also attended by Beka Dzamashvili, the Deputy Minister of Justice.