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• L. Ioseliani calls Droa's statement disinformation and states that he supported the CoE resolution, but did not support the fourth amendment, where M. Saakashvili is referred as a political prisoner

  Levan Ioseliani, one of the leaders of the Citizens party, responds to the statement of the Droa party. According to Dr­oa, Levan Ioseliani and representatives of Georgian Dream did not attend the PACE voting procedure where Russia was declared a terrorist regime. Levan Ioseliani calls this statement disinformation and explains that he supported the resolution, but did not support the fourth amendment of the resolution, where Mikheil Saakashvili is referred as a political prisoner.

  "Yesterday, the resolution adopted in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe against Russian aggression was followed by a lot of responses. Obviously, I supported this resolution, although I did not support its fourth amendment, where Saakashvili is referred as a political prisoner. Since my vote does not appear in the results of the unanimous vote, someone assumed, that I did not support the text of the resolution. Of course, in this voting list, my vote would not appear, because if you want to support the resolution, without any amendments, you must announce it verbally at the plenary session and then your support will be attached to the record of the results of the resolution. So, if you have any doubts, friends, you can find my support in the verbal notes of October 14 on the website of the Assembly. On the day of the vote, my vote was technically not recorded, so I asked in the session the next day to correct, this is also considered as an official vote. Voting in this manner is an accepted and frequent practice in the Assembly. Therefore, the resolution has the support of Levan Ioseliani in the form of a record, which can be seen in the records on the official page of PACE," says Levan Ioseliani.

• PACE calls for a review of cases of political prisoners opposed to President Putin, and for their release, including M. Saakashvili

  The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe calls for a review of cases of political prisoners opposed to President Putin, in the Russian Federation and in other countries, and for their release, including Mikheil Saakashvili, Ukrainian citizen and former President of Georgia. The above is said in the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - "Further escalation in the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine", which was approved by the Assembly yesterday.­

  The resolution, among other things, talks about the repressive environment in the Russian Federation.

  "The authorities have implemented a far-reaching crackdown on civil liberties based on intimidation and open persecution, with the goal to provoke a state of terror in the general public for political purposes. Democratic figures are being repressed or killed, the system of opposition parties has been destroyed, the judiciary is not independent and many media and civil society organisations, such as Memorial International, have been closed down. Despite the many draconian measures passed in recent years, anti-war demonstrations and protests have been breaking out across the country. Amongst the most prominent public figures being persecuted for voicing criticism against the war is Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has been detained since April 2022. On 10 October 2022, the Assembly was honoured to award Mr Kara-Murza with the 2022 Václav Havel Prize, affirming support for his courage and determination to create a peaceful, democratic Russia. The Assembly calls on the Russian authorities for the immediate release of Vladimir Kara-Murza. The Assembly also calls for a review of cases of other political prisoners opposed to President Putin, in the Russian Federation and in other countries, and for their release (including Mikheil Saakashvili, Ukrainian citizen and former President of Georgia)," reads the resolution.

  99 out of 100 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe supported the resolution calling on European countries to declare the current Russian regime a terrorist regime, while one member, a Turkish MP from the Republican People's Party, abstained.

• Information Meetings on Issues of Persons with Disabilities

  In June-August 2022, representatives of the Public Defender of Georgia held 28 informational meetings in 22 municipalities, the purpose of which was to raise public awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities.

  The meetings were attended by persons with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities and representatives of their organizations, as well as members of the councils working on the rights of persons with disabilities; officials of local self-government bodies, persons employed in the territorial services of state care and social service agencies, providers of services under the state programme of social rehabilitation and child care, employees of kindergartens, preschool institutions and educational resource centers, doctors of primary health care institutions - outpatient clinics (308 persons in total).

  Employees of the Department of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and regional divisions of the Public Defender’s Office introduced the mandate of the Public Defender and the challenges identified within the scope of their activities to the participants in the meetings. They also discussed issues stipulated by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and national legislation, including problems related to the realization of accessibility and inclusive education, identification of violence, implementation of programmes operating at the central/local level, peculiarities of the functioning of councils of persons with disabilities at the local level, importance of the involvement of persons with disabilities in the decision-making process and existing guarantees in this regard.

  With the support of the European Union Delegation to Georgia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), meetings were held in Kvareli, Akhmeta, Sagarejo, Kutaisi, Tskaltubo, Khoni, Lanchkhuti, Ozurgeti, Chokhatauri, Keda, Khulo, Shuakhevi, Batumi, Tetritskaro, Tsalka, Ambrolauri, Oni, Akhaltsikhe, Adigeni, Borjomi, Kazbegi and Gardabani municipalities.

• Public Defender Appeals to Constitutional Court against Temporary Exceptional Construction Rules in Batumi

  The Public Defender of Georgia has applied to the Constitutional Court and demanded to suspend the temporary exceptional rule approved for constructions planned in Batumi and to declare it unconstitutional. The mentioned temporary regulation allows construction companies to conduct the construction process without observing safety norms, basic construction requirements, as well as strength, sustainability, fire safety and evacuation rules.

  On June 23, 2022, in the last week of the spring session, the Parliament made changes to the Spatial Planning, Architecture and Construction Code of Georgia in an accelerated manner. The changes make it possible for a wide range of constructions planned in Batumi not to follow the construction obligations that ensure the safety of buildings and structures, safe environment for health and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

  The disputed regulation, until the approval of the general development plan for Batumi in 2027, in violation of the building safety norms and functional zone requirements, allows to exceed the maximum construction intensity coefficient (k-2) and maximum height of buildings by any volume, as well as to disregard all other regulations established by legislation, except for the regulations relating to the protection of cultural heritage.

  Particularly alarming is the possibility of implementing construction projects without observing the strength, stability, fire safety and evacuation norms of buildings, which poses a great risk to people's lives and health and violates the positive obligation of the State under Article 10 of the Constitution to take appropriate measures to protect the right to life.

  The disputed norms also suspend the requirement of ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities. Thus, the State violates the obligation under paragraph 4 of Article 11 of the Constitution to provide an accessible environment for persons with disabilities for full, equal and independent participation in public life.

  The disputed rule allows the implementation of the kind of construction projects in Batumi, which can have a serious negative impact on healthy living environment, bring irreparable consequences for correct urban planning and maintenance of recreational and public spaces.

  It is necessary to plan and implement measures in Batumi in order to alleviate, and not on the contrary, aggravate the difficult situation of spatial arrangement, created as a result of active, chaotic and spontaneous constructions over the years, something indicated by the Public Defender for many years.[1] The implementation of massive constructions without the general urban planning and the requirements established by the Code may cause irreparable damage to the realization of the right to environmental protection.

  In order to prevent the expected irreparable damage, we also request with the constitutional lawsuit to suspend the operation of the disputed norms until the final decision is made by the court.

• USAID and Public Defender’s Office Sign Intergovernmental Agreement

  On June 28, 2022, a Government-to-Government Agreement was signed between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Public Defender’s Office.

  The aim of the new partnership is to promote human rights in Georgia and to strengthen the activities of the Public Defender's Office, especially in the regions.

  In his opening remarks, Peter Wiebler, Mission Director of USAID/Georgia, briefly reviewed the Government-to-Government Agreement, cooperation and importance of Georgia's democratic development.

  The Ambassador of the United States of America spoke about progress in the direction of the protection of human rights in Georgia and underlined the activities of the Public Defender’s Office, great efforts that the staff of the Office make every day to establish equality and tolerance in the country; She also thanked representatives of the Office for their professionalism and dedication and said that the direct grant provided for by the USAID project was a sign of great confidence and support to the Public Defender's Office.

  Public Defender Nino Lomjaria thanked the US Government and the American people for the vital assistance they have been providing to independent Georgia in areas of economic development, implementation of democratic reforms, strengthening of state institutions and development of the private sector for decades.

  "Today we especially need such support, as the Government, the State and public institutions, each of us, must work tirelessly in these 6 months to get the status of an EU candidate country. These 6 months are a crucial period for our future.

  Until the end of my term of office, we, the entire Office, will be working to use this trust and support to monitor and support protection of human rights, democracy and human rights reforms in the country. However, I would also like to point out that the achievement of results under this agreement depends not only on our efforts. I think the willingness of other state agencies is also necessary and a lot depends on coordination and joint efforts in such a historic period," said the Public Defender.

  Giorgi Burjanadze, Deputy Public Defender, reviewed the details of the agreement between USAID and the Public Defender’s Office. According to the agreement, with the support of USAID, the Public Defender’s Office will work: 1) to strengthen internal capacities to conduct more effective monitoring of the protection of human rights in Georgia; 2) to strengthen internal management processes and institutional capacities; and 3) to improve strategic communication with the audience.

  "The project will help us make our Office more efficient in tackling the challenges we face. Protection of human rights is a constant process that needs constant upgrading," said Giorgi Burjanadze.

  Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia