Publications

Training for Prosecutors and Investigators

Over 20 prosecutors and investigators of the Prosecution Service of Georgia participated in the training onthe discrimination based on gender, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity held on May 6-7, 2019 outside Tbilisi. The event was organized by the IDFI with the support from the European Union, in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. The event was co-financed by the Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF). 

IDFI Presented its Report on Access to Public Information in Georgia

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) presented its 2018 report on access to public information in Georgia and awarded 43 top open public institutions.

Quizzing Georgia’s Youth on Parliamentary Democracy

Parliament Speaker, Irakli Kobakhidze;Head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Georgia, Louisa Vinton; and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, Carlo Natale, presented awards to the winners of “What? Where? When?” -- a quiz designed to test young people’s knowledge about the Parliament and its role in Georgian democracy.

Increasing Transparency of Archival Documents in Georgia – Legislative Proposal of IDFI

Although transparency and accountability constitute declared proprieties on the political agenda of the Government of Georgia, the country still stands considerably behind in regards with access to historical archives as compared to other Eastern European states.

Perceptions of Prosecutors’ and Judges’ Wheelings and Dealings

Rustavi 2 TV channel broadcasted an investigative documentary Studio Monitor and Radio Liberty produced. The documentary “Judges in the Government’s Service” followed up on the government’s attemptedconfiscation of Constanta Bank from its founders in 2011. It further hinted at alleged misconduct by the prosecutors and judges. CRRC-Georgia conducted a follow-up phone survey to find out whether and how the public viewed the documentary.

Problems Identified in the Judges’ Professional Training System Suggest that Comprehensive Reform of the High School of Justice is Needed

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) and Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) presented the research on the Judges’ Professional Training System in Georgia. The research provides an overview of the institutional arrangement of the High School of Justice of Georgia (HSoJ) and main challenges related to its work.

Georgians are Split over the Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia

Georgians are Split over the Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia

Rustavi 2 broadcasted an investigative film created by the Studio Monitor and Radio Liberty about a suspended investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. The film How to subjugate a judge? focused on accusations against prosecutors and judges related to the abuse of power, seizure of real estate, and giving of land to private individuals. Phone survey was conducted to find out if people watched the film and what was their attitude towards the issues raised in it. 

Mass Graves of Victims of Soviet Repression in Georgia

Identification of burials and remains of the victims of the Soviet-era terror is a demanding challenge for the post-Soviet countries. Many of these countries have started searching for such burial sites not at all recently, several mass burial sites have already been found and these countries have paid tribute to the repressed. There was no such precedent in Georgia as of yet, the search for burial sites and graves in the 1990s were largely in vain due to the destruction of archives and lack of information.

IDFI’s Opinion on the Reform Separating Prosecutorial and Investigative Powers

In 2018, the Georgian Government initiated a wide-scale reform of the investigative system with one of the key elements of the reform being separation of the investigative and prosecution functions.