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Thursday, 29 September , 2022
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Rati Bregadze Delivers a Speech at the Ministerial Meeting of the Member States of the Council of Europe

A ministerial meeting of the member states of the Council of Europe is being held in Dublin, which deals with issues of prevention of domestic and gender-based violence. The heads of the ministries of justice of European countries are attending the conference. The Georgian delegation is headed by Rati Bregadze.

The Minister of Justice of Georgia delivered a speech today at the event and talked about the institutional and legal reforms that have been implemented in the country to tackle violence against women and the family.

The Minister noted that the fight against gender-based violence is one of the priorities of the Georgian government.

"Gender equality, elimination and prevention of violence against women and domestic violence remains one of the priorities on the Georgian government's agenda. The legal and institutional reforms carried out over the past years are the best illustration of our approach to gender. Our policy is based on 4 principles: prevention of violence, protection of victims, effective investigation and interagency cooperation. All these directions are fully reflected in the legal and institutional mechanisms, including in the second national strategy and thematic action plans for the protection of human rights in Georgia for 2022-2030", - noted the Minister of Justice.

First Deputy Minister of Justice, Tamar Tkeshelashvili and Deputy Minister, Beka Dzamashvili also participate in the conference.

Within the framework of the Dublin conference, a declaration on the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in the family will be adopted. The declaration calls on states to strengthen national mechanisms for tackling domestic violence, violence against women; Focus on the rehabilitation of perpetrators and correction of violent behavior, and urge states to ratify the Istanbul Convention.

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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.