Rati Bregadze wished success to Levan Ioseliani on the post of the ombudsman and expressed hope for close and fruitful cooperation with the Public Defender's Office.

The parties discussed the main directions of cooperation, the goal of which is to further increase the quality of human rights protection in the country.

The conversation also touched on the judgment of the Strasbourg Court, according to which the interstate application in the case Georgia v. Russia (IV) was declared fully admissible by the court. The leadership of the Ministry of Justice provided detailed information to the Ombudsman's Office about what other steps the agency plans to take to protect the sovereignty of the country and the rights of the population living along the occupation line.

Protection of human rights is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Justice. In this direction, the agency is ready for close cooperation with the Public Defender of Georgia, as well as with all international and local organizations.

The meeting between Rati Bregadze and Levan Ioseliani was attended by the deputies of the Minister of Justice and the Public Defender, as well as Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tskhvarashvili.

Representative of the European Union Department, Nino Lobjanidze informed the students at what stage the country is in the process of joining the European Union, what legal procedures remain to be completed and what is the role the Ministry of Justice in this direction.

Face-to-face communication with the public on current issues is a priority direction of the Ministry of Justice. During 2022, the leadership of the Ministry held public lectures on the subject of ongoing disputes against Russia in international courts; This year, the department will additionally conduct a cycle of lectures on the issues of Georgia's integration with the European Union and their legal aspects. After Tbilisi and Telavi, lectures on this topic will be held in Gori, Kutaisi and Batumi.

The cycle of public lectures "Legal aspects of Georgia's integration into the European Union" continues. The representatives of the Ministry of Justice held a public meeting today with the students of Telavi State University.

Representative of the European Union Department, Nino Lobjanidze informed the students at what stage the country is in the process of joining the European Union, what legal procedures remain to be completed and what is the role the Ministry of Justice in this direction.

Face-to-face communication with the public on current issues is a priority direction of the Ministry of Justice. During 2022, the leadership of the Ministry held public lectures on the subject of ongoing disputes against Russia in international courts; This year, the department will additionally conduct a cycle of lectures on the issues of Georgia's integration with the European Union and their legal aspects. After Tbilisi and Telavi, lectures on this topic will be held in Gori, Kutaisi and Batumi.

It should be noted that the ECHR fully shared the legal position of Georgia with the submitted evidence and recognized all the claims of the Georgian government as admissible.

The Strasbourg Court considered that, at the admissibility stage, there is sufficient evidence to establish that Russia's administrative practice violates the following articles of the European Convention: Article 2 (right to life), Article 3 (prohibition of torture), Article 5 (right to liberty and security), Article 8 (Right to protection of private and family life), Article 13 (Right to an effective remedy), Article 14 (Prohibition of discrimination), Article 18 (limitation on use of restrictions on rights), Articles 1 (Right to property) and 2 (Right to Education) Articles and Protocol 4 of Article 2 (Freedom of Movement).

It should be noted that in the government's application, special attention is paid to the murders of Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Ochtozoria and Davit Basharuli. The Strasbourg Court emphasized that the mentioned cases are illustrative cases of massive human rights violations by Russia and will be considered within the framework of the above-mentioned administrative practice. In addition, it should be emphasized that the ECHR will specifically discuss the factual circumstances of these cases in terms of individual complaints, where the Government of Georgia is involved as a third party and presents a legal position in support of the complainants.

As a result of determining the admissibility of the so-called continuing occupation case will now move the case to the substantive review stage, where the court will examine the mass and specific human rights violations alleged by the Georgian government against Russia.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia thanks the state agencies, especially the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for their active involvement in the stage of gathering evidence in this case.

With today's decision, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) declared the interstate application in the case Georgia v. Russia (IV) (the so-called continuing occupation case) fully admissible and once again confirmed that Russia is responsible for the mass violations committed against the population of Georgia, as it continues to exercise effective control over the Tskhinvali region, and on Abkhazia.

The 4th interstate application filed by Georgia against the Russian Federation refers to the administrative practice of Russian officials’ tolerance of mass harassment, arrests, attacks, killings of the Georgian population in the territories occupied by Russia and along the occupation line.

The complex legal positions and evidence of the Government of Georgia on the mentioned case were sent in 2021 and 2022, including material from the national archives; Documented information and statistics about violations of the Russian Federation by Georgian government agencies; Decisions issued by national courts on relevant criminal cases; reports of international organizations; Public statements of representatives of the Russian government; Sources describing the "relationship" between the separatist defacto "authorities" and the Russian Federation (information on the political, financial, military and other types of close ties between them).

It should be noted that the ECHR fully shared the legal position of Georgia with the submitted evidence and recognized all the claims of the Georgian government as admissible.

The Strasbourg Court considered that, at the admissibility stage, there is sufficient evidence to establish that Russia's administrative practice violates the following articles of the European Convention: Article 2 (right to life), Article 3 (prohibition of torture), Article 5 (right to liberty and security), Article 8 (Right to protection of private and family life), Article 13 (Right to an effective remedy), Article 14 (Prohibition of discrimination), Article 18 (limitation on use of restrictions on rights), Articles 1 (Right to property) and 2 (Right to Education) Articles and Protocol 4 of Article 2 (Freedom of Movement).

It should be noted that in the government's application, special attention is paid to the murders of Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Ochtozoria and Davit Basharuli. The Strasbourg Court emphasized that the mentioned cases are illustrative cases of massive human rights violations by Russia and will be considered within the framework of the above-mentioned administrative practice. In addition, it should be emphasized that the ECHR will specifically discuss the factual circumstances of these cases in terms of individual complaints, where the Government of Georgia is involved as a third party and presents a legal position in support of the complainants.

As a result of determining the admissibility of the so-called continuing occupation case will now move the case to the substantive review stage, where the court will examine the mass and specific human rights violations alleged by the Georgian government against Russia.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia thanks the state agencies, especially the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for their active involvement in the stage of gathering evidence in this case.

Rati Bregadze thanked Ghassan Khalil for the fruitful cooperation and expressed hope that the partnership between the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Children's Fund will continue in the future.

The Minister of Justice noted that the projects implemented with the support of UNICEF, first of all, serve to protect the best interests of the children and their rights, and for the Ministry of Justice, cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund in this field is very fruitful.

Rati Bregadze focused on such areas of partnership as: reform of the juvenile justice system; elimination of violence against children and expansion of social programs intended for them; Juvenile rehabilitation and re-socialization and crime prevention projects; Training of professionals involved in mediation and diversion processes.

The Minister wished the head of the mission success in his further work.

As part of the official visit to Portugal, the delegation of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia visited today the Justice Hub, the Digitization Agency and the Justice Campus. The members of the delegation got acquainted with the existing model and system of providing state services, including online and digitized services. In addition, the parties shared information about electronic administration and innovations introduced in the public administration system in Georgia and Portugal.

The goal of establishing close partnership relations between the two countries in the field of digital governance is to increase the availability of state services. Within the framework of the visit to Portugal, the Minister of Justice of Georgia and the Secretary of State for Digitization and Administrative Modernization of Portugal also signed a joint declaration, which envisions the deepening of sectoral cooperation.

The document envisions the development of sectoral cooperation between the two countries and the sharing of experience in such important issues as: digital governance implementation policy and service development.

Before the signing of the joint declaration, the Minister of Justice in a meeting with the State Secretary noted that the modernization of the justice system through technologies and innovations is the cornerstone of all reforms implemented by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and other institutions involved in the justice system.

The minister noted that the Ministry of Justice, as a public service provider, provides more than 470 services throughout the country on a one-stop basis, using digital tools, technologies and innovations.

The Minister also spoke about the introduction of the mobile application JustApp, through which all state services will be available online.

At the meeting, the Minister emphasized that the agency's priority is to continue working on digitalization of services, and sectoral cooperation and experience sharing with partner countries will contribute to the development of e-governance in both countries. On the way to joining the European Union, the strengthening of new areas of sectoral cooperation acquires special importance in the direction of convergence with European standards.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili and Georgian Ambassador to Portugal Giorgi, Mirtskhulava also attended the meeting with Secretary of State, Mario Campolargo.

As part of the official visit to Portugal, a Georgia-Portugal memorandum was also signed; A meeting is planned at the Justice Campus in Lisbon.

The introduction of the best European and international standards in the fields of punishment and crime prevention is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. For this purpose, the agency will continue to study the practices of partner countries in the future.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze visited the Carregueira prison during his visit to Portugal. The Minister inspected the infrastructure of the institution, got acquainted with the specifics of the operation of the penitentiary institution and held a meeting with Director General for Rehabilitation and Prison Services and Staff, Rui Abrunhosa Gonsalves.

The parties discussed such issues as: effective management of the penitentiary institution; Availability of rehabilitation, re-socialization, employment, educational programs and sports activities, etc.

The Georgian delegation received detailed information about the projects operating in the Portuguese penitentiary system and introduced Georgian innovations - "Re-Market" and "Digital University" to the Portuguese side. Rati Bregadze invited Rui Abrunhosa Gonsalves to the opening of a European-type penitentiary institution in Georgia - Laituri prison. The parties also agreed to organize joint trainings for employees.

The introduction of the best European and international standards in the fields of punishment and crime prevention is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. For this purpose, the agency will continue to study the practices of partner countries in the future.

Rati Bregadze and Katarina Sarmento e Castro signed today the memorandum of cooperation within the framework of the visit of the Georgian delegation to Portugal.

The decision to deepen sectoral cooperation and sign a memorandum was made at the meeting of the Ministers of Justice of Georgia and Portugal in July 2022, at which the parties discussed concrete initiatives for the development of bilateral relations.

The memorandum covers various areas of cooperation between Georgia and Portugal, including the approximation of Georgian legislation with EU law, digitalization of justice, crime prevention, rehabilitation and re-socialization of convicts in penitentiary and probation systems, and access to educational programs. For this purpose, the memorandum envisions the development of training and qualification improvement programs for the employees of the Ministries of Justice of the two countries, as well as the organization of joint seminars, study visits and legal forums.

The signing of the memorandum was preceded by a meeting between the Ministers of Justice of Georgia and Portugal. Rati Bregadze and Katarina Sarmento e Castro discussed specific opportunities for mutual cooperation and future initiatives. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, Beka Dzamashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to Portugal, Giorgi Mirtskhulava and Deputy Head of the Mission, Tsotne Zurabiani.

In Portugal, the Georgian delegation will hold meetings with the State Secretary and the head of the Penitentiary Service on issues of digitization and administrative modernization. A visit of the delegation to the penitentiary and justice campus is also planned.

The summarizing of the project results took place in Tbilisi State University. The participants of the event spoke about the importance of the program and the importance of raising legal awareness among minors. At the end of the meeting, the participants of the project - students and experts of the Faculty of Law received special certificates.

The goal of the project financed within the grant program of the Ministry of Justice is to popularize legal education in educational institutions, strengthen legal culture, raise the level of legal awareness among schoolchildren and develop professional skills among the next generation of lawyers. The presenter of the grant proposal is the Tinatin Tsereteli Scientific Society.

The Ministry of Justice annually announces a grant competition for strengthening civil involvement in the agency's activities. Last year, the agency funded 17 best projects.

Representatives of the Ministry of Justice regularly monitor and support the progress of the funded projects.

The project "Promotion of legal education in the future generation for the security of the legal state and its institutional development" has completed. The participants of the project - about 30 students selected from the law faculties of different universities, after a 5-day training in the field of human rights, held meetings with the students of public schools. It should be noted that educational institutions not only in Tbilisi, but also in the regions of Georgia were involved in the project. In addition to the capital, meetings with students were held in Batumi, Lagodekhi and Gori schools.

The summarizing of the project results took place in Tbilisi State University. The participants of the event spoke about the importance of the program and the importance of raising legal awareness among minors. At the end of the meeting, the participants of the project - students and experts of the Faculty of Law received special certificates.

The goal of the project financed within the grant program of the Ministry of Justice is to popularize legal education in educational institutions, strengthen legal culture, raise the level of legal awareness among schoolchildren and develop professional skills among the next generation of lawyers. The presenter of the grant proposal is the Tinatin Tsereteli Scientific Society.

The Ministry of Justice annually announces a grant competition for strengthening civil involvement in the agency's activities. Last year, the agency funded 17 best projects.

Representatives of the Ministry of Justice regularly monitor and support the progress of the funded projects.

The speaker spoke about the results of the occupation and the current situation. Special attention was paid to the difficult and successful struggle that the Ministry of Justice waged in Strasbourg and Hague against Russia to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

Among other things, the students were also informed about the importance of the facts that the Strasbourg and Hague courts recognize the territorial integrity of our country and confirm the occupation by Russia for the purpose of further de-occupation of Georgia and protection of sovereignty.

The lecture was conducted in an interactive mode, within which the speaker answered the students' questions and listened to their opinions.

Face-to-face communication with the public is a priority of the Ministry of Justice. The cycle of public lectures began on May 26, 2022 marking the Independence Day and is being held throughout Georgia in order to inform the public about issues of state importance.

The cycle of public lectures on the topic "Protection of Georgia's sovereignty by legal means" continues. Head of the Department of State Representation in International Courts, Nino Nikolaishvili led the lecture at the Ministry of Justice today.

The speaker spoke about the results of the occupation and the current situation. Special attention was paid to the difficult and successful struggle that the Ministry of Justice waged in Strasbourg and Hague against Russia to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.

Among other things, the students were also informed about the importance of the facts that the Strasbourg and Hague courts recognize the territorial integrity of our country and confirm the occupation by Russia for the purpose of further de-occupation of Georgia and protection of sovereignty.

The lecture was conducted in an interactive mode, within which the speaker answered the students' questions and listened to their opinions.

Face-to-face communication with the public is a priority of the Ministry of Justice. The cycle of public lectures began on May 26, 2022 marking the Independence Day and is being held throughout Georgia in order to inform the public about issues of state importance.