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Thursday, 15 June , 2023
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Georgia Receives the Highest Rating in Terms of the Fight Against Human Trafficking

According to the report of the US State Department on June 15, 2023, Georgia still holds the highest position in the measures taken against human trafficking, and among 188 countries around the world, it has retained its place for the 8th year. "In the first basket". This year, only 30 countries remain in the highest rating scale.

This year, Georgia is the only one in the region and among the so-called "expanding countries", which has the highest rating of the US State Department and is next to the EU countries, including Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg, in terms of the effective fight against trafficking.

The fight against trafficking was and remains one of the priorities of the Georgian government, which is also an important part of the process of Georgia's integration into the European Union and creates a safe and reliable environment in the country and the region in terms of fighting transnational organized crime.

According to the US State Department's report, Georgia fully meets these anti-trafficking standards, continues to take strong, sustainable, consistent and coordinated anti-trafficking measures, which leads to the country's highest rating.

The special approval of the US State Department concerned:

  • Guiding documents developed under the guidance of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, which help the process of identification of victims;
  • The approval of the 2023-2024 action plan for the fight against trafficking;
  • Measures aimed at crime prevention, awareness and qualification raising;
  • Proactive measures aimed at crime detection;
  • Improving the mechanisms for detecting cases of labor exploitation.

Georgia's leading position in the report of the US State Department and the progress achieved during the reporting period are the result of the effective work of the Interagency Coordinating 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.

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Strasbourg Court Confirms Davit Kezerashvili’s Guilt in Embezzling Georgian Army Funds, Rejects Claims of Political Persecution

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued its decision in the case of Davit Kezerashvili v. Georgia. At a briefing, Justice Minister Anri Okhanashvili discussed the ruling, which upheld the verdict against Kezerashvili.

“The Court concluded that, while serving as Defense Minister shortly before the August 2008 war, Davit Kezerashvili embezzled €5,060,000 (approximately 15 million GEL at today's exchange rate) intended for the Georgian army. It also determined there was no political persecution involved in his prosecution. The Supreme Court of Georgia's verdict finding Kezerashvili guilty was deemed well-founded, and no violation of the presumption of innocence was found,” Okhanashvili stated.

Okhanashvili outlined the fraudulent activities carried out by Kezerashvili:

"During his tenure as Defense Minister, Kezerashvili unlawfully signed a fictitious agreement with an offshore company in a single day to provide combat training for the Georgian army. This agreement bypassed the General Staff of the Defense Forces. In reality, no training occurred, and the €5,060,000 allocated for the Georgian army was deliberately misappropriated."

Anri Okhanashvili emphasized that the Court also dismissed Kezerashvili’s demand for €15,000 in moral damages. Kezerashvili, who enriched himself by defrauding the Georgian army, sought additional compensation for moral damage. The Strasbourg Court firmly rejected this claim. It confirmed the seriousness of Kezerashvili’s crime and upheld the Supreme Court of Georgia's ruling as lawful.

The Justice Minister congratulated the Georgian state and armed forces on their success in the European Court and acknowledged those who defended Georgia’s interests:


“I congratulate the Georgian state, army, and people on this significant victory. I extend my gratitude to the Ministry of Justice staff and the Prosecutor’s Office for their dedicated work. We now look forward to seeing how our European partners, particularly those who previously characterized Kezerashvili as a media advocate, respond to this decision affirming his guilt,” Okhanashvili remarked.