Rule of Law, Human Rights and Freedom of Media

2 May 2020

The Parliament of Georgia has Postponed Adoption of Amendments Necessary for Ensuring Access to Court Decisions

Based on the appeals of “Institute for Development of Freedom of Information” and “Media Development Foundation” 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. The Court held that the disputed norms would be void from May 2020 and thus gave the Parliament of Georgia time to harmonize existing legislation with the requirements of the Constitution.

21 April 2020

Training on "Cyber-hygiene for Security"

With the collaboration of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and LEPL Data Exchange Agency (DEA), on April 21, representatives of DEA conducted the online training on cyber security for the employees, and for the participants of the Educational Certification Program in Fighting Corruption, of IDFI.

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

Open Data Toolkit

Availability of open data in easily processable formats has given journalists a unique opportunity to conduct comprehensive studies of various issues. Combination of various data sets and programmatic analysis has revealed hidden business connections and interests, information about property and income, illegal dealings, and misappropriation of public funds by public figures and high-ranking officials.

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”.