Rule of Law and Human Rights

7 April 2020

IDFI’s Opinions on Legislative Amendments Necessary to Ensure Access to Court Decisions

The Constitutional Court of Georgia, by its decision of June 7, 2019, ruled that the provisions of the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection, specifically Article 5 and paragraphs 1 and 3 of Article 6 were unconstitutional as they prohibited access to the full text of court decisions delivered within the scope of public hearings by Common Courts of Georgia.

3 April 2020

IDFI Submitted Opinion regarding the New Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights

In March 2020, the Government of Georgia initiated the process of developing a new Strategy for the Protection of Human rights. Within the scope of this initiative, “Institute for Development of Freedom of Information” submitted to the government opinions and recommendations regarding main directions and objectives that should be part of the strategy.

29 March 2020

Appointment of Supreme Court Justices: What people in Georgia know and think about the process

In the beginning of September 2019, the High Council of Justice provided a list of 20 Supreme Court Justice candidates to the Parliament of Georgia for approval. In September-November 2020 parliament conducted the hearing process for candidates, and on December 12^th 2020 14 candidates were appointed to Supreme Court.

29 March 2020

Appointment of Supreme Court Justices: What people in Georgia know and think about the process

What does the public in Georgia know about the process of appointment of the Supreme Court Justices, and what is their attitude towards the newly appointed justices and judicial institutions?

26 March 2020

Georgia’s Ranking in the Rule of Law Index 2020

The Rule of Law Index of the World Justice Project is the database which constitutes a major source for assessing the state of the rule of law in different countries around the globe. The Rule of Law Index is based on the surveys of experts, general public, legal practitioners, and is a reliable source for many organizations and stakeholders.

17 February 2020

IDFI filed an Amicus Curiae Brief regarding the Constitutional Appeal of the Public Defender

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information filed an amicus curiae brief regarding the constitutional appeal of the Public Defender. The constitutional appeal N1459 of November 11, 2019 of the Public Defender challenges the provisionson the Organic Law of Georgia on Common Courts regardingthe selection of the candidacy of a Supreme Court Justice for the nomination to the Parliament by the High Council of Justice.

23 January 2020

Presentation of the Report on Institutional and Legal Framework of the Supreme Court of Georgia

On January 23, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) presented the report “The Supreme Court of Georgia – Analysis of Institutional and Legal Framework”.

8 November 2019

Assessment of the Judicial Reform - System of Disciplinary Liability of Judges

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) presented findings of the report on the judicial reform system of disciplinary liability of judges. The purpose of this document is to assess the system of disciplinary liability of judges in light of the “third wave” reform of the judicial system.

21 October 2019

Selection of Supreme Court Judge Candidates: What people in Georgia know and think about the process

Following the constitutional amendments and changes to the organic law of Georgia on common courts, the minimum number of judges at the Supreme Court increased to 28. At the same time, 10-year appointments were changed to lifetime tenures, and the High Council of Justice was given the authority to nominate candidates for parliamentary appointment.

21 October 2019

Selection of Supreme Court Judge Candidates

A phone survey to find out people’s knowledge and attitude about the Supreme Court judge selection process was conducted. The survey resulted in 867 completed interviews, and is representative of the adult Georgian-speaking population of the country. The average margin of error of the survey is 2.2%.