Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze spoke with Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Georgia, Sania Lukovac, about deepening cooperation in migration issues. The parties discussed specific activities, including conducting joint trainings and awareness raising events.

The Minister of Justice and the Head of the International Organization for Migration in Georgia also agreed on the use of resources of public service halls, community centers and mobile public service halls in the information campaign on issues related to migration.

Rati Bregadze hosted Sania Lukovach in the meeting room of the Ministry of Justice - Sukhumi.

The first review of the planned changes in the penitentiary legislation was held today in the Ministry of Justice in an interdepartmental format. As part of the process, the legislation in the field of penal law will be codified; Both the structure of the legislative act and its content will be revised. As a result, a completely new imprisonment code project will be developed and initiated in the Parliament of Georgia during the fall session.

At the first stage of the legislative reform, the Ministry carried out a critical analysis of the current Imprisonment Code and the Georgian Law on Special Penitentiary Service and presented its vision of changes. The Ministry offers the guests invited to the presentation - representatives of competent state bodies - as well as, in the next phase, academic circles, non-governmental organizations and international missions active participation in the relevant law-making process. Opinions and proposals will be exchanged within the specified time frame, working meetings will be held in intensive mode.

The development of law-making based on scientific conclusions and analytics and the participation of highly qualified experts in the process is one of the priority directions of the Ministry of Justice. Concrete steps have already been taken to realize this goal - the legal scientific journal Iustitia was founded, the second issue of which is already ready for publication; The largest electronic legal base HeinOnline became available to the employees of the Ministry of Justice; For greater involvement of non-governmental organizations, a grant competition was announced in the direction of strengthening the protection of human rights, introducing innovative services, promoting the rehabilitation and re-socialization of convicts and ex-prisoners, and effective crime prevention, within the framework of which, a total of 14 projects were financed; Cooperation with higher educational institutions, their professors and students has become more intensive, relevant memoranda have already been signed with a number of universities.

Representatives of the executive and legislative authorities, the deputy public defender and other invited guests participated in the discussion of the planned legislative changes.

Re-market - a space where it is possible to buy the works made by convicts, probationers and ex-prisoners in the penitentiary institution, opened on Akaki Tsereteli avenue, Tbilisi. Visitors to the store can buy paintings; accessories made of leather, wood, and other materials, handcrafted by convicts.

Re-Market is an innovative project of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and it was launched with the support of the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). In addition to the fact that the income of convicts will increase with the products sold in the store, this process will help them spend their time in the institution productively and get employed.

A convict in a penitentiary institution who joins the project has the opportunity to continue active cooperation with the store after release and to maintain a stable income even after leaving the institution, which is an important factor for the prevention of repeated crimes.

Customers visiting the store have the opportunity to purchase high-quality leather bags, wallets, bracelets and accessories, which are hand-made by convicts. All kinds of conditions have been created for them in penitentiary institutions. For the purpose of individual employment of convicts, penitentiary institutions have arranged work spaces, the rooms are equipped with a 3D printer and an engraving machine, through which the convicts make accessories of various designs.

The next stage of the store's development is the creation of an online platform through which it will be possible to purchase items remotely. Courier and delivery services will also be launched throughout Tbilisi.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze opened Re-Market today. The event was attended by members of the legislative authority; representatives of the diplomatic corps, international donors and non-governmental organizations; Deputy Ministers of Justice and invited guests.

On June 30, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) published its ruling on the case - Akhalaya v. Georgia and declared the appeals inadmissible as clearly unfounded.

The applicant - Bachana Akhalaia argued before the Strasbourg court that the restraining measure - imprisonment - used against him in the framework of various criminal cases in 2012-2014 was illegal, because the total term of imprisonment exceeded the maximum term defined by law - 9 months. The applicant also claimed that his detention was not properly justified by the national courts and served the purpose of a politically motivated criminal prosecution (Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to liberty and security) in conjunction with Article 18 of the Convention (scope of application of restrictions of rights).

According to the assessment of the ECHR, the detention of the applicant as a preventive measure was in full compliance with Georgian legislation and court practice. The Strasbourg Court found that there was no intentional delay in the investigation or any arbitrariness on the part of the investigating authority/prosecutor or the court within the framework of the ongoing criminal proceedings against the applicant.

The European Court also clarified that the decisions of the Tbilisi City Court regarding the application of the restraining order were properly justified in accordance with both Georgian legislation and European standards and were based on the proven dangers of concealment and impact on witnesses.

As for the applicant's claims of political persecution, the court clarified that since the claims regarding the legality of the detention are clearly unfounded, the applicant's position that his detention was politically motivated should also be declared inadmissible.

On June 30, 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) published its ruling on the case - Akhalaya v. Georgia and declared the appeals inadmissible as clearly unfounded.

The applicant - Bachana Akhalaia argued before the Strasbourg court that the restraining measure - imprisonment - used against him in the framework of various criminal cases in 2012-2014 was illegal, because the total term of imprisonment exceeded the maximum term defined by law - 9 months. The applicant also claimed that his detention was not properly justified by the national courts and served the purpose of a politically motivated criminal prosecution (Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to liberty and security) in conjunction with Article 18 of the Convention (scope of application of restrictions of rights).

According to the assessment of the ECHR, the detention of the applicant as a preventive measure was in full compliance with Georgian legislation and court practice. The Strasbourg Court found that there was no intentional delay in the investigation or any arbitrariness on the part of the investigating authority/prosecutor or the court within the framework of the ongoing criminal proceedings against the applicant.

The European Court also clarified that the decisions of the Tbilisi City Court regarding the application of the restraining order were properly justified in accordance with both Georgian legislation and European standards and were based on the proven dangers of concealment and impact on witnesses.

As for the applicant's claims of political persecution, the court clarified that since the claims regarding the legality of the detention are clearly unfounded, the applicant's position that his detention was politically motivated should also be declared inadmissible.

The Minister of Justice and the Head of UNDP in Georgia discussed the current directions of cooperation and discussed possible areas for deepening relations. Rati Bregadze informed Nick Beresford about the innovations that are being introduced to further improve the availability of services.

The Minister of Justice noted that public service halls and community centers have been opened in 5 districts over the past year - Gardabani, Tskaltubo, Sighnaghi, Kaspi and Chkhorotsku; Construction is underway in 6 more municipalities - Zestaponi, Samtredia, Terjola, Khashuri, Akhmeta and Supsa.

Particular attention was paid to the Mobile Public Service Hall project, which was launched in villages where branches of the Public Service Hall are not yet operational. The Public Service Hall minibus - Mobile Public Service Hall - provides the population with all the services that required a visit to the public service halls and community centers. This service is already available in 7 districts.

Work is already underway on a Digital Public Service Hall project that will allow citizens to access more than 450 Public Service Hall services through a mobile app.

The result of the success of the reforms is that, according to a survey conducted by UNDP and UK aid, services are easily accessible to 96% of citizens, and the service satisfaction rate is 97%.

Rati Bregadze thanked Nick Beresford for UNDP support in creating a unified public service development strategy in Georgia for the first time. The document has already been approved by the Georgian government. The goal of the strategy is to further simplify public services and increase their accessibility.

Rati Bregadze and Nick Beresford also discussed the export of Georgia's innovative projects in the field of public services.

The meeting was held at the Ministry of Justice and was attended by Deputy Ministers of Justice. Tamar Tkeshelashvili and Beka Dzamashvili.

The Minister of Justice continues presentation of the annual report on the work of the agency in the regions. After Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Borjomi, the event was held in Rustavi this time. Rati Bregadze spoke about the reforms carried out to strengthen the priority areas of the Ministry.

One year after the presentation of the Development Strategy of the Ministry of Justice, a number of promises have been fulfilled:

The innovative project - the Mobile Public Service Hall has been introduced and is successfully operating in 7 regions; Electronic probation service system - PROBBOX was installed in 6 big cities of Georgia; Systemic land registration reform has been launched in 59 municipalities of Georgia, land is being measured and registered according to the time plan.

Infrastructural works continue - 5 new public service halls and community centers were opened; Construction is underway in 6 more municipalities; An additional public service hall will be opened in Hualing, Tbilisi; Samtskhe-Javakheti Regional Archive building was opened in Akhaltsikhe.

The bilingual magazine Justitia was founded and published; The largest electronic legal framework HeinOnline became available to the Ministry of Justice; Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with the Ministries of Justice of Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Switzerland.

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

Significant reforms in the penitentiary and probation systems - employment programs for prisoners have been accelerated; Encouragement of sports activities in penitentiary institutions continue; sports squares have been repaired; Regular exercises are being held, probation bureaus are being opened in Sighnaghi, Terjola, Kutaisi and Zestaponi; the referral center opened in Kutaisi; Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with the municipalities for the employment of convicts.

The presentation of the report was attended by State Representative in Kvemo Kartli Region, Giorgi Dokhturishvili, representatives of local authorities, Deputy Ministers of Justice, employees of LEPLs subordinated to the Ministry and invited guests.

The annual student competition in EU law is over. The winners of the mock trial were personally awarded by Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze today. The Minister congratulated the young students on their success and noted that interest in the EU is growing - this year 36 teams from 11 higher education institutions participated in the competition, with a total of 119 contestants.

The aim of the competition is to popularize EU law and increase interest in the European integration process. Participants in the mock trial had the opportunity at each stage of the competition to deepen their knowledge of EU law and acquire the skills needed for their future profession. Registered teams underwent special training; The 8 best teams revealed in the writing stage continued the competition in the next, oral stage. Each round was judged by a panel of judges who revealed the winners.

The winner of the competition was the team of undergraduate students of Tbilisi Free University, which included Nikoloz Mosidze, Beka Chkonia, Luka Avazashvili. Luka Tsiklauri, a student of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, became the best speaker of the mock trial. The teams participating in the event were awarded special certificates, and the winning team was awarded with symbolic gifts and a textbook on EU law by the Ministry of Justice. The author of the best written position and the teams that made it to the final stage were awarded with symbolic gifts. The 2022 competition was held in close cooperation between the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the IRZ.

Tamar Tkeshelashvili spoke about issues such as: provision of affordable, efficient and transparent electronic services; Ensuring interoperability of information systems using advanced information and communication technologies, etc.

"Development of digital governance is one of the priorities of the Georgian government and in this regard, Georgia holds leading positions in the region. We are pleased to share our experience in this area with partner countries. The government has recently approved a service development strategy with the Ministry of Justice as its responsible agency; Developing services is impossible without the development of digital platforms. Therefore, such conferences and events will always be fruitful for all parties,” - said the Deputy Minister of Justice, Tamar Tkeshelashvili.

The international conference - International Cooperation and Capacity Building in the Field of Digital Governance - opened in Tbilisi today. Its purpose is to exchange information on digital governance, services and innovation, to strengthen the capacity of public servants, to refine the process of providing public services.

The conference is co-sponsored by UNDP, the Ministry of Interior and Security of the Republic of Korea, the National Information Society Agency (NIA), the Astana Civil Service Hub, the World Bank, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, and the Georgian National Civil Service Bureau. The international conference is attended by thematic representatives of six countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan).

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia continues to cooperate with higher education institutions. The Ministry of Justice has signed a document of cooperation with the Georgian National University.

Under the memorandum, students will be able to reinforce the theoretical knowledge gained in the learning process with practical activities and spend one working day a week in the sub-departments of the Ministry of Justice. Graduates will be hosted by penitentiary institutions, LEPL National Agency for Crime Prevention, Execution of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation, LEPL Vocational Training Center for Convicts and LEPL Georgian Training Center of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice will plan and coordinate student visits to the Ministry system and will be involved in the educational process in this way, which will contribute to the professional training of university students, the strengthening of theoretical knowledge gained in the educational process through practical activities, the development of practical skills and the training of qualified staff.

The document was signed by Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze and Rector of the Georgian National University, Gia Kavtelishvili.

The purpose of the memorandum is to develop science-based approaches and to promote the attraction of scientific potential in the legislative process, which is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry has already signed a similar memorandum with Caucasus International University.