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.

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.

On 16 June 2022, following the visit to Georgia, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published a report with additional comments from the Ministry of Justice of Georgia.

The CPT welcomes the fact that the delegation had excellent cooperation and full support during the visit, both from the Ministry of Justice and the leadership of the Penitentiary Service, as well as from the staff of the penitentiary institutions. This once again confirms the transparency of Georgia's penitentiary system.

According to the report, the delegation did not receive any information about any ill-treatment of prisoners by prison staff. On the contrary, the CPT estimates that there is a positive and peaceful relationship between staff and inmates.

The health care system of the penitentiary service also received a positive assessment from the European Committee; In particular, according to the CPT report, counseling and treatment of communicable diseases is quickly and easily accessible. Georgia's practice of managing COVID in the penitentiary system was highly praised by the Committee, as a result of which, despite the pandemic, it was possible to maintain prisoners' contact with the outside world.

As for the recommendations in the report, some of them have already been taken into account or reflected in the 10-year strategy developed by the Ministry of Justice; In particular, the CPT focused on the need to increase the number of outdoor cell activities, employment, education and sports programs. The European Committee has already been informed that during 2021 a number of educational, cultural and sporting events were held in penitentiary institutions with the participation of 2151 prisoners. Of particular note is the victory of female prisoners at the World Chess Championship. Also, after the CPT's visit, a new sports management system was approved in the penitentiary system, under which prisoners will be trained by professional instructors. Sports fields were renovated in №5, №14, №15, №16 and №17 penitentiaries; A digital university program has been launched, under which convicts and defendants will have the opportunity to study remotely at authorized universities in Georgia; More than 1000 prisoners are currently employed and this number will gradually increase.

Another recommendation of the European Committee is to reduce / prevent violence among prisoners and increase the number of staff in penitentiaries. The CPT was informed that the Special Penitentiary Service would respond promptly to any attempt at violence or intimidation between prisoners. Risks and needs are assessed on an ongoing basis, resulting in the transfer of individual prisoners to high-risk facilities. If the relevant preconditions exist, an investigation is launched and the perpetrators are brought to justice. Cases of violence among prisoners will be further reduced after the opening of new penitentiaries; In particular, a penitentiary will be opened in Laituri by the end of the year, which will be designed for up to 700 prisoners. As for increasing the number of employees, this process has begun. At the same time, the conditions of the employees are gradually improving.

The CPT also requested information on individual incidents in penitentiary institutions, which was provided by the Ministry of Justice within the set timeframe.

The European Committee particularly appreciates the readiness of the Minister of Justice to co-operate actively with both the CPT and the Public Defender. The openness of the Georgian penitentiary system is further confirmed by the publication of the CPT's report, which was carried out with the consent of the Ministry of Justice.

The reform of the penitentiary system will be actively pursued in accordance with the 10-year strategy of the Ministry of Justice, which will take into account the recommendations of the CPT. The clearest indicator of the effectiveness of the reforms already implemented is the statistics of the European Court of Human Rights, according to which the European Court of Human Rights has not received any cases sent from the Georgian penitentiary system since 2012, which confirms the high standard of protection of prisoners' rights within the country.

The CPT delegation was hosted by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the Special Penitentiary Service on May 17-24, 2021. During the visit, the delegation visited 4 penitentiary institutions (№2, №14, №15 and № 17).

Rati Bregadze spoke about the reforms that have been 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:

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 the Deputy Ministers, the State Representative in the Imereti Region, representatives of the local authorities, employees of the LEPLs under the Ministry of Justice and invited guests.

The Ministry of Justice offers the students of the master's program of Caucasus International University the opportunity to deepen the theoretical knowledge gained in the educational process through practical activities. The document of cooperation was signed today by Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze and Rector of Caucasus International University, Kakhaber Kordzaia.

Developing science-based approaches and promoting the attraction of scientific potential in the legislative process is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Justice. For this purpose, memoranda of cooperation will be signed with various higher education institutions authorized in Georgia.

In order to facilitate the development of practical skills and training of qualified staff within the training course of the Caucasus International University - "Legal Clinic in Penitentiary Law" - students will be able to spend 1 working day a week in the structural units and penitentiary institutions of the Ministry of Justice: LEPL Crime Prevention Agency, LEPL Vocational Training and Retraining Center for Convicts and LEPL Georgian Training Center of Justice.

The involvement of the Ministry's representatives in the educational and scientific processes of the University will enable postgraduate students to deepen their theoretical knowledge in the agencies of the justice system where they can have direct contact with their future professional activities.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice will provide successful graduates with employment opportunities in the system of the Ministry of Justice.

Lawyers who are aware of the need to visit their client will be able to schedule an appointment in advance via electronic portal, ensuring that the meeting between the lawyer and his client is organized and timely.

Lawyers who need to meet with a client unexpectedly and / or for any other reason can not schedule a visit will be able to meet with the defendant / convict through the standard procedure already in place.

Today, Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze got acquainted with the operation of the electronic booking system in the №8 penitentiary institution together with Chairperson of the Bar Association, Davit Asatiani.

The online booking portal will provide lawyers with more comfort and opportunity to schedule their meeting calendar. Effective use of the portal unloads the so-called “live queue” as well.

The pre-booking electronic portal was implemented by the Bar Association in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the Special Penitentiary Service with the financial support of the United States Embassy. At this stage, the portal operates in #8 penitentiary institution in pilot mode.

The address of the pre-booking electronic portal is: https://penitentiary.gba.ge ; In addition, the hotline can be reached at: 511 10 30 97.