Rule of Law, Human Rights and Freedom of Media

6 December 2016

The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) Files a Constitutional Complaint

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) has filed a constitutional complaint to the Constitutional Court. IDFI believes that the existing regulation of access to court decisions contradict the Constitution of Georgia.

19 November 2016

IDFI and GYLA Appealed to the Chief Prosecutor's Office to Launch an Investigation against the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA, representing newspaper Batumelebi) addressed the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia to launch an investigation against the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

16 November 2016

Personal Data Protection as a Tool for Classifying Court Activities

According to existing legislation, the Georgian public may not know the arguments behind court decisions to convict the former President, former Minister of Internal Affairs, and former Minister of Defense. The answer to a simple question of why is also simple – “Personal data protection is an important challenge for the state; international acts and the EU Association Agreement obligate us to protect personal data”.

7 November 2016

Terms of the Public Service Law are Being Violated

IDFI calls on the Georgian government to transfer normative acts required by Article 126 of the new law to the Parliament within the legally established deadline.

21 September 2016

Giorgi Kldiashvili - On the Frontline: Human Rights Situation in the EaP Countries

IDFI Director Giorgi Kldiashvili took part in a human rights conference titled On the Frontline: Human Rights Situation in the EaP Countries. The topics discussed include: human rights challenges in the EaP countries and international mechanisms; human rights defenders: best practices in campaigning, networking and fundraising; and human rights monitoring and protection in conflict zones.

19 September 2016

Politicization of Constitutional Justice: Altered Constitutional Claims and Motions to Recuse Constitutional Court Judges

Lately, a number of high-ranking political officials have made statements about constitutional claims having been altered, with some demanding a launch of investigation. The Georgian Parliament has requested the Constitutional Court to recuse several judges from two constitutional cases (so-called Cables-Ugulava and the Rustavi 2 cases), also citing possibly altered claims. In addition, lawyers of the Rustavi 2 case have appealed to the Constitutional Court to also recuse judges from their case because of their public statements. Considering the importance of the issue, IDFI decided to prepare a legal analysis of the situation based on information requested from the Constitutional Court.

6 July 2016

Access to Internet as a Fundamental Human Right

The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution recognizing access to internet as a fundamental and basic human right. The resolution “affirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online”.

23 June 2016

Recent changes in the US Freedom of Information Act

The US Freedom of Information Act is a federal law that sets the standards for disclosure of documents and information held by public institutions. It defines the concept of public information and regulates the exceptions for the disclosure of information. This article by IDFI examines the latest amendments to the Freedom of Information Act that significantly improve the access to public information.

10 May 2016

Freedom of Information in the Public Defender's 2015 Report

In April, 2016, the Public Defender published the 2015 report on the state of human rights and freedoms in Georgia, including freedom of information. The right to freely receive and distribute information is guaranteed by Articles 24 and 41 of the Constitution.

4 May 2016

Case Summary - IDFI vs Ministry of Internal Affairs

On the following link please find the summary of the case IDFI vs MIA. The article reviews decisions of Tbilisi City Court, Tbilisi Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia. All three instances of court held MIA responsible for disclosing information on salary supplements and bonuses received by high-ranking officials.