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Saturday, 16 July, 2022
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All Services of the Ministry of Justice Will Be Available in Khashuri Municipality

One of the priority directions of the Ministry of Justice is further improvement of access to state services for citizens. For this purpose, the Minister of Justice and his deputies visited Khashuri. By the end of the year, the population of Khashuri will be able to use up to 470 services of the Public Service Hall.

"Today we introduced a number of pleasant news to the people of Khashuri. First of all, the Public Service Hall, the construction process of which is completely renewed. By the end of the year, the user will have the opportunity to receive all types of state services in one space in a comfortable environment, already available throughout Georgia. In Khashuri, we have also introduced Probbox, which will further contribute to the re-socialization of the offenders. In addition, we have opened the space of mediation, which is important for the development of restorative justice in Georgia", said Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze.

Under the initiative of Rati Bregadze, the construction of Khashuri Public Service Hall has moved to a new stage. The work is going on intensively and is being continued by the new company.

A new branch of the Public Service Hall will be added to Khashuri municipality by the end of the year, and 18 persons will be employed in the Service Hall. In addition to the service hall, a wedding-ritual space with a modern interior will be arranged in the new branch. The building will also house the offices of the LEPLs operating in the sphere of governance of the Ministry of Justice, which until now have been operating in an outdated infrastructure.

Rati Bregadze also visited the new mediation space opened in the Khashuri Probation Bureau, where the needs of the mediation process are fully taken into account. All necessary conditions for communication and negotiation are provided for the parties. In a properly equipped space, it will be easier for mediators to fulfill their duties. Until now, there was no space for mediation in the region, which is why it was necessary to find another space to conduct the process.

Mediation serves to end the existing conflict between the perpetrator and the victim. It is based on the principles of restorative justice and is people-oriented, involving all persons affected by crime, identifying and meeting their needs.

The Ministry of Justice actively actively uses the mediation mechanism. It is an alternative form of juvenile criminal responsibility, which offers offenders to engage in rehabilitation and reintegration into society instead of imprisonment; The successful operation of the mediation mechanism is indicated by the fact that in 2021, 596 appeals for the allocation of a mediator were registered, of which the mediation process with 389 children in conflict with the law was successfully completed.

Currently, mediation spaces are operating in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Khashuri; By the end of the year, it will also be opened in Ozurgeti.

Today, the innovative technological device PROBBOX created for probationers was placed for the first time in an alternative space, apart from the Public Service Hall - in the administrative building of the Khashuri municipality's town hall. The technological device integrates all the services for which the probationers had to pay visits to the probation offices.

Probbox services include: employment offers, information on revocation of probation, submission of an application for relief, communication with a probation officer and booking a video appointment with a convicted person.

Probationers can use Probbox in 7 municipalities at the moment. After Batumi, Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Telavi, Gori and Zugdidi, the device is also available in Khashuri municipality; Gradually, it will be distributed throughout the country.

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According to the Strasbourg Court, Publicly Made Insulting, Obscene, and Degrading Statements Fall Outside the Scope of Freedom of Expression

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg upheld the position of the Ministry of Justice in the case of Miladze v. Georgia, confirming that publicly made insulting, obscene, and degrading statements directed at public officials are not protected under the right to freedom of expression.

The case concerned a video published on the social media platform TikTok in 2022, in which the applicant, civil activist Irakli Miladze, used obscene and insulting language toward the Mayor of Tbilisi, City Hall employees, and police officers. As a result, the national courts imposed a fine of 500 GEL, the minimum penalty provided for by law.

The Strasbourg Court unanimously held that the applicant’s statements did not amount to political criticism or the expression of views on a matter of public interest. According to the Court’s assessment, the language used was intended primarily to humiliate and insult public officials.

The Court also agreed with the reasoning of the national courts, noting that they had properly distinguished between harsh political criticism, which is protected in a democratic society, and personal insults, which are not. The judgment further emphasized that the sanction imposed on the applicant was minimal and proportionate, as he received only the lowest fine available under the law.

Today’s ruling by the Strasbourg Court reaffirmed an important principle: freedom of expression is one of the fundamental values of a democratic society and protects even strong and offensive criticism; however, it does not extend to humiliating or personally insulting statements directed at others, including public officials and civil servants.

The judgment further underscores that the state is entitled to protect political officials and public servants from unjustified verbal abuse and insults, ensuring that they are able to perform their duties in an environment free from attacks that undermine their dignity.

The Court’s assessment once again highlights the fundamental importance of freedom of expression, while clearly establishing that the exercise of this right — particularly on the internet and social media platforms — must not infringe upon the dignity and rights of others.