Over the past several days the Ministry of Interior held some wide scale police raids in Tbilisi which has raised concerns of the part of population. Policemen stopped and frisked pedestrians and vehicles and inspected personal documents of citizens. As reported, sometimes policemen wrote down personal information of individuals (name, father's name, address, phone number) and took photos of them by mobile phones. Oftentimes these activities were illegal and violated human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. 

Non-governmental organizations working on electoral issues proposed Tamar Zhvania as a candidate for the position of the Chair of the Central Election Commission.

Today, on August 20, H. E. Mr. Hans Horbach, the newly-appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Georgia, visited ISFED central office.

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) presents the second pre-election monitoring report for the October 27, 2013, presidential elections. The monitoring covers the period from July 20 through August 4, 2013. 

GYLA has found that Batumi City Court intends to examine an election complaint pursuant to a general procedure for disputes litigation, rather than examining it within a short timeframe as prescribed by election laws. It essentially violates the spirit of election laws and is harmful to pre-election environment as well as the interests of justice.

According to official reports, on May 13, 2013, 24-year old prisoner Levan Kortava was brutally beaten in Geguti penitentiary establishment, resulting in his death on May 23. Subsequent investigation has uncovered a number of alarming circumstances.

According to ISFED’s information, at the meeting held on August 2, Gamgebeli of Aspindza requested trustees of villages and their assistants to write a letter of resignation.

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Transparency International – Georgia and Georgian Young Lawyers Association held 16 round-table meetings throughout Georgia. Round-tables were held under the framework of an ongoing project “Raising Public Awareness on Electoral Reform 2013”, which is being implemented with the financial support of International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).