After Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Borjomi, Rustavi and Batumi, the Minister of Justice held a presentation of the agency’s activity report for the residents of Telavi. The Minister personally provided information to the people of Telavi about the reforms implemented by the Ministry of Justice and fulfilled promises.

Strengthening the direction of human rights protection, legal security and effective services - all the innovations offered by the Ministry of Justice to citizens are united around these three principles. In particular:

The innovative project Mobile Public Service Hall was introduced and is successfully operating in 7 regions; PROBBOX electronic service system for probationers was launched in 6 big cities of Georgia; The reform of systematic land registration started - in 59 municipalities of Georgia, land is being measured and registered step by step, according to the timeframe;

Infrastructural works continue – 5 new public service halls and a community center were opened; Constructions are underway in 6 more municipalities; Additionally, one more Public Service Hall will be opened in Tbilisi, in Hualing; The Samtskhe-Javakheti regional archive building opened in Akhaltsikhe;

The bilingual magazine Iustitia was founded and published; The largest electronic legal database HeinOnline became available to the Ministry of Justice;

Memoranda of mutual cooperation were signed with the Ministries of Justice of Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Switzerland;

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

In addition, important reforms have been implemented in the penitentiary and probation systems – employment programs for prisoners have been strengthened; encouragement of sports activities in penitentiary institutions continues; Sports fields are being renovated; Regular trainings are in progress, probation offices opened in Sighnaghi, Terjola, Kutaisi and Zestafoni; The referral center opened in Kutaisi; Memoranda of cooperation have been signed with municipalities for the employment of persons sentenced with penal labor.

The presentation of the report was attended by the representatives of the local government, the Deputy Ministers of Justice, the employees of the local government agencies operating under the Telavi municipality and invited guests.

The cycle of lectures on the topic - victories of the Ministry of Justice achieve in the European Courts of Human Rights to protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity - continued today in Telavi.

First Deputy Minister of Justice, Tamar Tkeshelashvili and Deputy Minister, Beka Dzamashvili spoke to the audience about the ongoing cases against Russia in Strasbourg and the Hague, which ended with decisions of historical significance for Georgia in the case of the August War.

The Deputy Ministers of Justice explained that the confirmation of the occupation of Georgia by the Russian Federation in 2008 by the Strasbourg Court, recognition of the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in the Tskhinvali region; Also, establishing Russia's guilt for killing and torturing Georgian prisoners of war; The inhuman and degrading treatment of military and civilians is a powerful legal tool for the further de-occupation of our country.

The conversation also touched upon the decision of the Strasbourg court to exclude or recognize as inadmissible more than 3,300 complaints filed against Georgia by residents of the Tskhinvali region, which were filed with the coordination of Russia. According to the Deputy Minister, the fact proves once again that during the 2008 war, the Georgian military acted in compliance with the norms of international law. The lecture discussed the issue of arrest warrants by the Hague Court against 3 "high-ranking officials" of the Tskhinvali region, who are accused of torture and ill-treatment of Georgian civilian prisoners during the August war. After Strasbourg, with this decision, the Hague International Criminal Court confirmed the responsibility of specific representatives of the Russian Federation and the separatist regimes for the crimes committed during the August war.

The event was attended by Irakli Shioshvili, the state trustee in Kakheti region, local government representatives, civil servants, and students of Telavi State University.

A tournament was held among convicts in the penitentiary institution No. 16 in 7 sports categories: backgammon, chess, basketball, volleyball, football, handball and table tennis.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze personally awarded the winners of the sports festival with symbolic gifts. During the meeting with the convicts, the Minister spoke about the importance of popularizing a healthy lifestyle in penitentiary institutions and the need for prisoners to participate in various types of sports.

After the tournament, the convicts performed several musical numbers for the guests.

The sports festival was held within the framework of the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Special Penitentiary Service and the International Foundation for Sports, Tourism and Youth, which serves to promote re-socialization and rehabilitation of convicts and support a healthy lifestyle in penitentiary institutions.

Together with the Minister of Justice, Head of the Special Penitentiary Service, Nika Tshvarashvili, his Deputy, Giorgi Giorgadze and Head of the International Foundation for Sports, Tourism and Youth, Tariel Khechikashvili attended the tournament.

The performance of the play - Angels Fly Over the Prison was held today in the Kote Marjanishvili State Drama Theater with the participation of convicts. 19 convicts participate in this one-act play. The script, direction, props, artistic decoration and posters belong to the convicts themselves. The performance was staged in Penitentiary No. 5 (Women’s Prison).

In the process of working on the play, the convicts had the full support of the management of the penitentiary service, as this is part of their re-socialization and rehabilitation program. The play itself is based on the idea that the convict, like any other person, should be able to start life with a clean slate after making a mistake. The process of working on the play was a kind of way for each participating convict to understand that through overcoming internal difficulties they will be able to draw experience from their mistakes that will help them plan their lives better. Angels Fly Over the Prison has already been performed on the stage of the Sandro AkhmeteliState Drama Theater;

Some of the convicts participating in the first performance have already left the penitentiary and were replaced by other convicts. The performance itself, as well as the process of working on it, is a kind of rehearsal for returning to society for convicts. Before the performance, an exhibition of handicrafts made by convicts was organized in the lobby of the Marjanishvili Theater.

The performance was attended by Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze, the Deputy Ministers of Justice, Minister of Education and Science, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, who cooperates with the Ministry of Justice within the framework of the "Digital University" project, members of the legislative authority, representatives of the LEPLs of the Ministry of Justice and members of the Patriarchate.

In the 2nd issue of the magazine, the reader can get acquainted with the works of Georgian and foreign researchers on such actual challenges of modern legal science as: the relationship between the church and the state, definition of the concept of terrorism; Legal definition of cyber-attack; jury and mediation institutions in the Georgian legal space; Alternative dispute resolution in competition law.

For those interested in the history of law, the publication of the famous scholar Wilhelm Sauer's work ("Justice") continues, which is being published in Georgian for the first time. It is also possible to get acquainted with the Polish Constitution of 1791.

In the 2nd issue of the publication, the reader will also meet the interviews of Minister of Justice of Armenia, Karen Andreasian, and Prosecutor General of Georgia, Irakli Shotadze; The biography of the famous Georgian scientist, legal expert, Otar Gamkrelidze.

The Georgian-English magazine of the Ministry of Justice "IUSTITIA" was founded in June last year on the initiative of the Minister of Justice. It is a quarterly, refereed and peer-reviewed publication. Its purpose is to promote the development of separate fields of law and the deepening of academic discussion on legal issues.

In the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT), the competitions for selection of candidates from Georgia to be submitted to the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) of the Council of Europe have been announced. The indicated contests will be held in accordance with the rules of conducting the competition approved by the orders of the Minister of Justice of Georgia No. 848, No. 849 and No. 850 of July 27, 2022. The Minister of Justice of Georgia has been granted the authority to determine the rules and procedure for the selection of candidates from Georgia to be submitted to international courts, as well as to international organizations working on human rights and legal issues and their bodies, by the Resolution No. 234 of the Government of Georgia. It should be noted that before the adoption of this resolution, there was no unified approach to the rules and procedures for the selection of candidates; The purpose of granting this authority to the Minister of Justice is the effective and timely fulfillment of the international obligations before Georgia, the selection and presentation of a candidate in the above-mentioned bodies impartially and in accordance with international standards. The participation of representatives of thematic agencies is considered in the composition of the candidate selection commission.

Candidates selected and nominated by the Georgian quota will act individually, independently and impartially in the above-mentioned bodies within the framework of their activities. Competition requirements are placed at the following links:

- Candidate for membership of the Council of Europe's European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) - https:/www.hr.gov.ge/JobProvider/UserOrgVaks/Details/72655?active=1 ;

- Candidate for the membership of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) of the Council of Europe- https://www.hr.gov.ge/JobProvider/UserOrgVaks/Details/72722?active=1 ;

- Candidate for membership of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) - https://www.hr.gov.ge/JobProvider/UserOrgVaks/Details/72654?active=1.

In the near future, additional selection contests will be announced for the nomination of candidates to those international bodies where the deadline for the nomination of a candidate from Georgia is approaching.

In order to involve academic circles and the scientific community in the process of reforms, law-making activities, development and implementation of policy documents in the Ministry's system, the Ministry of Justice is establishing a new platform. According to the decision of the Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze, a scientific advisory council was established at the agency, which is staffed by prominent experts in various fields of law.

The Scientific Advisory Council will develop draft laws, concepts, conclusions and opinions to be submitted to the Minister of Justice; These scientific and expert proposals will be taken into account in various spheres of activity of the Ministry of Justice.

Promotion of the law-making process based on scientific conclusions and analytics is one of the main priorities of the 10-year strategy of the Ministry of Justice. For this purpose, the bilingual legal journal Iustitia was founded last year, which is a quarterly, refereed and peer-reviewed publication. The presentation of the 2nd issue of the magazine was symbolically held at the session of the Scientific Advisory Council.

The members of the council include representatives of the Ministry of Justice, heads of law schools of higher educational institutions and professors.

The Minister thanked the Ambassador for his cooperation and talked about future prospects. During the meeting with Hubert Knirsh, Rati Bregadze emphasized the special role of Germany in supporting Georgia's European perspective. The Minister also noted the Ambassador's personal contribution to the issue of deepening the relations between the two countries.

Rati Bregadze expressed hope that the cooperation between Georgia and Germany will become even more intensive and wished Hubert Knirsh success in his future career.

Minister of Justice of Georgia, Rati Bregadze congratulated the employees of the agency on their professional day. The Minister summarized the implemented projects and thanked the employees for their services.

Head of the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation, Lado Kheladze introduced the results of the agency's activities and development vision to the employees. He focused on technological innovations, strengthening the direction of crime prevention, promotion of human resources development, infrastructural renewals and provision of necessary services to the beneficiaries.

Over the past year, a number of promises in the direction of crime prevention and probation have been fulfilled:

The first innovative device in Europe Probbox - an electronic service system for probationers, which provides geographic availability and anonymity of probation services. Currently, Probbox is distributed in the Public Service Halls and municipal buildings in 7 cities of Georgia, and in the future its number will increase to 250;

The renovated office of the Imereti Regional Probation Bureau opened in Kutaisi, and municipal offices - in Zestafon and Terjola. Meanwhile, Gardabani, Sighnaghi, Kaspi and Chkhorotsku probation offices have been located in the Public Service Halls and Community Centers of the same cities; The first regional office of the Juvenile Referral Center also opened in Kutaisi;

With respect to HR development - the number of probation officers increased by 12%, the number of social workers by 26%, and the number of psychologists by 67%. Code of ethics for probation officers has been developed as well;

4 new rehabilitation programs were introduced in the direction of re-socialization-rehabilitation of convicts and ex-prisoners. 577 minors and adults under the age of 21 have been included in diversion programs. The rate of successful mediation was statistically the highest - 67%;

In order to promote the employment of the beneficiaries of the agency, memoranda have been concluded with the State Employment Agency, the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture. After the involvement of persons sentenced to penal labor in the implementation of infrastructural projects and after serving the sentence, for the promotion of their employment, memoranda have been signed with the mayors of different municipalities;

Mobile and 24-hour electronic monitoring teams have been created for effective enforcement of house arrest.

At the end of the event, Deputy Minister of Justice, Buba Lomuashvili and Head of the Bureau, Lado Kheladze awarded the successful professionals with certificates of appreciation.

The event dedicated to the day of the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Enforcement of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation was attended by agency employees, deputy ministers of justice, heads of structural units of the ministry, and representatives of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States of America.