Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili held a meeting today with the delegation of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT).

The conversation touched on the measures implemented and planned by the Ministry of Justice and the Special Penitentiary Service in the direction of protecting the rights of prisoners and improving their conditions. Attention was focused on issues such as: the new Penal Code, re-socialization and rehabilitation programs available for prisoners, employment opportunities, construction of new small-scale institutions, etc.

The clearest indicator of the effectiveness of the already implemented reforms is the statistics of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), according to which, after 2012, the European Court has not received any cases sent from the Georgian penitentiary system, which confirms the high standard of protection of prisoners' rights in the country. In addition, according to official statistics, the total number of cases against Georgia in the European Court has decreased dramatically. In particular, by 2011, there were 3045 cases filed against Georgia in the proceedings of the European Court of Human Rights. For comparison, as of January 2023, this number has decreased to 147, which is 20 times less than the data of 2011.

According to the Deputy Minister, the reform of the penitentiary system will be actively continued in accordance with the 10-year strategy of the Ministry of Justice, within which the recommendations of the SPT will be taken into account.

The meeting was also attended by the representatives of the relevant departments of the Ministry of Justice and the Special Penitentiary Service.

It should be noted that the SPT delegation is visiting Georgia for the first time. The main function of the sub-committee, consisting of independent and impartial experts, is to introduce proactive and sustainable approaches to the prevention of torture and ill-treatment in UN member states. The sub-committee will also meet with other government agencies, the Public Defender's Office and representatives of the National Prevention Mechanism. Within the scope of the visit, SPT also visits penal institutions.

After the visit, the SPT will develop a report and issue recommendations regarding the treatment and protection of persons deprived of their liberty in relation to Georgia.

The visit of the delegation started today and will end on October 13.

The construction of the facility for 150 convicts, complying with international standards, will be completed in 2024.

A completely new type of institution for Georgia provides the possibility of more effective management of the prison. The new penitentiary institution in Rustavi will have modern cells, canteen, shop, sports infrastructure, re-socialization spaces, improved conditions for employees and the latest security systems.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze and Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tsvarashvili laid the symbolic capsule together with their employees.

During two days, the forum discussed current problems and challenges in the field of law, including the specifics of the Czech legal system and models of activity. A special session was devoted to the implementation of EU law regulations at the national level.

After the end of the forum, the Ministers of Justice of the two countries noted that the information and experience shared during the forum was useful for both parties and expressed their readiness to support the development of the legal platform between Georgia and the Czech Republic in the future.

The idea of the Georgian-Czech legal forum was raised last October during the meeting of the Justice Ministers of the Czech Republic and Georgia; The second forum in a row, after Tbilisi, will be hosted by Prague next year.

For Georgia it is especially important to cooperate with the Czech side and share the experience of what legal processes Georgia will have to go through on the way to join the European Union in terms of bringing Georgian legislation closer to the European Union, which is facilitated by the events planned within the framework of sectoral cooperation between the two countries.

The development of international legal cooperation is one of the agency's priorities, and the Ministry of Justice of Georgia has a similar platform with Germany, Azerbaijan and Armenia in addition to the Czech Republic.

The idea of a joint forum was raised last October during the meeting of the justice ministers of the Czech Republic and Georgia. The purpose of the forum is to further bring the Georgian-Czech legal systems closer together and to strengthen the sectoral cooperation between the two countries, including in the direction of bringing Georgian legislation closer to European law, which is of particular importance in the process of granting Georgia candidate status and in the context of the European perspective.

The event was opened by Minister of Justice of Georgia, Rati Bregadze and Minister of Justice of the Czech Republic, Pavel Blažek. Along with the representatives of the Ministry of Justice of the two countries, experts from the field of law of the court, the Prosecutor's Office, the Lawyers' Association and the Legal Aid Service are also participating In the forum; They discuss the specifics of the Georgian and Czech legal systems, models of activity and prospects of future cooperation.

The sectoral cooperation between Georgia and the Czech Republic is developing especially intensively after the signing of the declaration between the Ministries of Justice of the two countries, which was signed by Rati Bregadze and Pavel Blažek last year.

The first Georgian-Czech legal forum will end on October 6, and in 2024, the event will be held in Prague.

According to the order of the Chairperson of the Board of the Georgian Chamber of Notaries dated September 27, 2023 N230/s, the internship competition was announced. The competition will be held at the Training Center of Justice from November 1 to November 15, 2023, in the form of testing, in two stages.

Stage I - General Skills, November 1, 2023.

stage II - professional part, November 15, 2023.

In order to participate in the competition, a person wishing to undergo an internship must submit the following documents electronically:

1. a copy of the document confirming higher legal education; Note: the applicant, who has received a higher legal education abroad, must submit the relevant document on the recognition of education issued by the National Center for the Development of the Quality of Education.
2. Application in accordance with the attached form (Appendix No. 1a);
3. copy of identity document;
4. d) two photographs (size 3X4).

Before completing the registration, the Training Center of Justice checks the compliance of the documents submitted by the applicant with the requirements established by law. If the documents are submitted by the applicant in an incomplete form, he or she has the right to correct the defect before the registration is completed. The registration period expires in 5 days before the competition. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

In order to participate in the competition, a person wishing to undergo an internship must submit the specified documents in electronic form to the following address: stajirebanotary@tcj.gov.ge or to the Secretariat of the Training Center of Justice Commission, address: st. Tbilisi, Anna Politkovskaya st. N1.

Documents will be accepted from September 28 to October 26, 2023, at the following email address: stajirebanotary@tcj.gov.ge

Contact persons:

Ketevan Zviadadze, e-mail: kzviadadze@tcj.gov.ge

Contact phone (+995 32) 294 22 65

Maggie Odishelidze, e-mail: modishelidze@tcj.gov.ge

Contact phone (+995 32) 238 22 59

Requirements for a person wishing to undergo an internship

In accordance with Article 3 of the Order N450 of the Minister of Justice of October 23, 2019 "On the Regulations on the Rules and Conditions for Conducting the Internship Competition and Approving the Rules of Internship in the Chamber of Notaries of Georgia”;

Exam form and stages

First stage - general skills - 100 questions, 2 hours.

Second stage - testing in the professional part, 100 questions, 3 hours.

The exam consists of 100 test questions with 4 possible answers, only one of which is correct. A correct answer is valued at 1 point.

A candidate who gets 70 or more points in the general skills test has the right to participate in the professional part test, and to get a positive assessment in the professional part test, the candidate must score at least 75 points.

The winner of the competition is considered to be a person who successfully passes both stages of the test and accumulates a certain point in each stage.

Application form;

Order N450 of October 23, 2019 of the Minister of Justice of Georgia "Regarding the approval of the regulation on the rules and conditions of holding the internship competition and the rules of internship in the Chamber of Notaries of Georgia”.

Examination program of the internship competition.

Elections of the chairperson and members of the board were held by secret ballot, using an electronic voting program. Ekaterine Nandoshvili, the winning candidate for the presidency, received 248 votes.

Candidates for chairperson, deputy and board members introduced the action plan to their colleagues.

In his welcoming speech at the General Assembly of the Georgian Chamber of Notaries, the Minister of Justice underlined the importance of the activity of notaries in ensuring the legal security of the country.

At the general meeting, it was noted about the successful reforms implemented in the system in 2021-2023, including: increasing the age limit for holding the position of notary to 70 years; expansion of the geographical area of notary services; adaptation of bureaus to the needs of persons with disabilities; Strengthening of sectoral cooperation with partner countries and others.

The event was attended by the Curator of the Chamber of Notaries - First Deputy Minister of Justice, Tamar Tkeshelashvili, Deputy Ministers and other representatives of the Ministry of Justice.

Elections of the chairperson and members of the board were held by secret ballot, using an electronic voting program. Ekaterine Nandoshvili, the winning candidate for the presidency, received 248 votes.

Candidates for chairperson, deputy and board members introduced the action plan to their colleagues.

In his welcoming speech at the General Assembly of the Georgian Chamber of Notaries, the Minister of Justice underlined the importance of the activity of notaries in ensuring the legal security of the country.

At the general meeting, it was noted about the successful reforms implemented in the system in 2021-2023, including: increasing the age limit for holding the position of notary to 70 years; expansion of the geographical area of notary services; adaptation of bureaus to the needs of persons with disabilities; Strengthening of sectoral cooperation with partner countries and others.

The event was attended by the Curator of the Chamber of Notaries - First Deputy Minister of Justice, Tamar Tkeshelashvili, Deputy Ministers and other representatives of the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice continues to implement an innovative, unprecedented worldwide project - Rati Bregadze opened the third branch of the Public Service Hall in Gldani Penitentiary No. 8.

The Public Service Hall provides prisoners with unlimited access to more than 50 public and private sector services. The branches will also serve the employees of the penitentiary service.

Today, as part of the ongoing reform in the penitentiary system, a new canteen space was opened in Gldani prison, which will further increase the quality of food safety.

The canteen will serve 3000 convicts and accused persons. 8 types of menu are also prepared for prisoners with various diseases and are fully adapted to their health needs. There are 17 convicts employed in the space who receive respective compensation.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Erekle Gvinianidze, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili and Chairperson of the Public Service Hall, Lasha Lobjanidze attended the opening of the Public Service Hall and canteen space in Gldani Penitentiary No. 8.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Buba Lomuashvili held a working meeting today with United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Gerard Quinn.

The conversation touched upon the measures implemented and planned by the Ministry of Justice aimed at improving the rights of persons with disabilities within the system. Attention was focused on issues such as: the Law of Georgia "on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", the involvement of the representatives of the disabled community in the policy planning process by the Ministry, the legal status of the convicts/accused persons with disabilities placed in the penitentiary and their living conditions, etc.

Gerard Quinn was on a special visit to Georgia, the purpose of which is to evaluate the steps taken in the direction of protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in the country and the respective experience.

The Special Rapporteur will submit a report on the current situation in Georgia at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2024.