Human Rights Center submitted legislative proposal to the Parliament of Georgia

Human Rights Center submitted legislative proposal to the parliament of Georgia to introduce respective amendments to the Law of Georgia – “Imprisonment Code”. 

According to the legislative proposal, if the Parliament accepts it, new regulations shall be introduced for disciplinary violations in order to ensure their application adequately and proportionally. In accordance to the proposed amendments, disciplinary proceedings in the penitentiary establishments shall be only verbally, at least over grave and particularly grave disciplinary violations. Also, the proposal aims to change the current regulation, which automatically forbids an inmate, who is in the punishment cell, to have short and long conjugal meetings, to make phone calls, to buy food, to participate in educational process. The legislative proposal also aims to discharge the prisoner from the court fee when he/she appeals the decision on the disciplinary punishment in the court. 

One of the key priorities of the Human Rights Center has always been the defense of the rights of prisoners (accused/convicted).

The HRC, in the past years, has implemented many projects in this direction and finally gained rich experience in the field. 

HRC representatives have been monitoring the penitentiary establishments under the mandate of the Public Defender’s Office. 

In December 2018, HRC carried out monitoring of the penitentiary establishments throughout the country together with the partner organizations. 

In 2019, HRC published the report “Report on Monitoring Penitentiary Establishments in Georgia” which presents results of the monitoring carried out in the penitentiary establishments in December 2018 and relevant recommendations. The monitoring visits were carried out by the representatives of following non-governmental organizations – Human Rights Center, Penal Reform International and Initiative for Rehabilitation of Vulnerable Groups – within the mandate of National Preventive Mechanism of Public Defender of Georgia.

Based on the information collected during the monitoring and survey, HRC delivered recommendations to the Ministry of Justice and the Parliament of Georgia. 

Based on the HRC report findings and the recommendations of the Public Defender of Georgia, as well as the analysis of the problems identified by the HRC lawyers in the course of their professional activities, the organization prepared the legislative proposal to amend several articles in the Imprisonment Code of Georgia, which aims to significantly improve the state of human rights of the prisoners. 

The proposal was already submitted to the Parliament of Georgia in accordance to the rules determined by the law. 

HRC hopes the legislative body will examine the legislative proposal promptly and will support respective amendments in the law.