2018 წლის 2 ნოემბერს, საქართველოს პატრიარქთან გამართული შეხვედრის შემდეგ, მმართველმა გუნდმა გაასაჯაროვა გადაწყვეტილება კანაფის კულტივაციასთან დაკავშირებული კანონპროექტის პარლამენტიდან გაწვევის შესახებ. ირაკლი კობახიძის განცხადებით, ასევე პრინციპული გადაწყვეტილებაა მიღებული, რომ განხორციელდეს ცვლილებები, რომელიც ჩარჩოში მოაქცევს საკონსტიტუციო სასამართლოს გადაწყვეტილების მიღებას ნარკოტიკული პოლიტიკის სფეროში.

არასამთავრობო ორგანიზაციები ვეხმაურებით ზაზა სარალიძის დაკავებას და მიგვაჩნია, რომ ზაზა სარალიძის ქმედება შინაგან საქმეთა სამინისტროს მიერ ადამიანის უფლებების უხეში და განგრძობითი დარღვევის გამოძახილია.

Leading members of the Government of Georgia and the ruling party continue their purposeful attacks on non-governmental organizations and their heads. Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani carried out yet another attack of this kind at the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Copenhagen on 22 October.

Observers of the organizations have reported that in several regions municipal officials are instructing directors and employees of non-profit (non-commercial) legal entities that receive funding from the Budget to mobilize supporters of Salome Zourabishvili and to provide certain individuals with lists of potential supporters.

We would like to comment on the statement made today by the executive secretary of Georgian Dream and the chairman of Parliament of Georgia, which continues an aggressive rhetoric against the non-governmental sector. At today’s briefing, Irakli Kobakhidze spoke in the capacity of the party’s executive secretary, which leads us to think that the opinions he voiced had been discussed and shared by the party, and which further demonstrates the urgency of the issue.

Civil society organizations and groups working on protection of human rights in Georgia are extremely concerned about the violence and threats committed on homophobic motives against four activists of the organization Equality Movement in Tbilisi. We call on law enforcement agencies to investigate the case in a timely and effective manner in order to address difficult situation with just and human rights-based approach and to restore activities of the Equality Movement.

We would like to respond to the recent developments that have taken place in the country, which are indicative of a severe crisis in the governance system, clear signs of grand corruption and informal clan rule in Georgia. We believe that the control exercised by an influential group over public institutions and its use of those institutions for the promotion of narrow group interests is a precursor towards the breakdown of the public institutions.

We would like to respond to the incident of gross interference with the right to peaceful assembly by the police, which took place at a protest rally organized by Zaza Saralidze and Malkhaz Machalikashvili in front of the Parliament in Tbilisi on September 26, 2018. As confirmed by news reports, the protesters were planning to put up a tent on the pavement, which would not have caused interruption/blocking of the functioning of the Parliament building. Police officers dismantled the construction of the tent and didn’t allow the protesters to continue the protest in this form. There were also reports that the police had used physical force against the protesters, confiscated the tent, and conducted a search of a car. On the same day, at about 11 PM, the police prevented civil activist Nata Peradze and a person accompanying her from joining the ongoing protest rally and forcibly confiscated a bag which contained a tent. They were only allowed to enter the area of the rally after the police had confiscated the tent.

The public has recently become aware of a number of alleged instances of corruption involving public officials. The notable examples are the public materials related to the activities of the Omega Group and TV Iberia, which are indicative of severe corruption, in which public officials may have been involved. In spite of the fact that the authenticity of the recordings has not yet been verified, it is highly concerning that the government has not responded to these materials.

The Coalition is concerned that the process of selecting the new Chief Justice is suspended until this day. We again remind the authorized persons that based on the Constitutional amendments that are set to take effect upon the swearing-in of the next President of Georgia, the High Council of Justice (HCOJ) is given the authority to nominate the candidate for the Chief Justice position.