Georgia awaits the European Commission’s recommendation on granting it EU membership candidate status. We, the undersigned Georgian NGOs, share a common mission: to safeguard and advocate for the interests of Georgian citizens and to promote and instill European democratic values in Georgia. We all share the unwavering choice and the paramount interest of an overwhelming …

The sanctions imposed by the U.S. on the Georgian judges, Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, and Irakli Shengelia; a former judge, Valerian Tsertsvadze; and the former Chief Prosecutor, Otar Partskhaladze, have not been followed by effective steps on the part of the Georgian authorities. On the contrary, since the moment of sanctioning, the authorities have been actively …

On October 9, the Venice Commission published an unprecedentedly critical opinion regarding the Organic Law of Georgia “On Common Courts.” The document evaluates both the June 2023 legislative amendments and the draft law of September 2023. The latter, unfortunately, became available to the public only after the Commission’s Opinion was published.[1] The Coalition welcomes the …

On June 13, the Parliament of Georgia adopted amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia on Common Courts in the third reading.[1] The Georgian Dream’s stated purpose of adopting the amendments was to fulfill the recommendations of the European Commission. However, according to the Venice Commission’s opinion, the draft law did not meet its recommendations …

In the coming days, it is expected that the Kyrgyz government will adopt the legislative package, collectively known as the “Russian law”, which includes legal amendments to the Law on Non-Commercial Organizations and amendments to the Criminal Code of Kyrgyz Republic.[1] The legislative amendment was introduced with the first hearings without the appropriate engagement of the …

The “Georgian Dream” deliberately prevented the creation of a temporary investigative commission in the Parliament twice, which was supposed to study corruption and other violations in the judicial system. On April 18, fifty opposition MPs registered for the session. This was enough to create a commission. However, the “Georgian Dream” deputies did not register for …

Last month, we, the citizens of Georgia, once again reaffirmed our loyalty to European values and unwavering commitment to the path leading to EU membership. Through widespread public consolidation around EU membership as a national goal, we have shown that the people of Georgia deserve candidate status. According to the sources, in October 2023, the …

The US Department of State has imposed personal sanctions on entry into the country on members of an influential group of judges due to their involvement in significant corruption. The sanctions are imposed on current and former judges: Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Valerian Tsertsvadze, and Irakli Shengelia.[1] According to the US Embassy, ​​this decision is …

The Coalition for Independent and Transparent Judiciary reacts to the re-election of Levan Murusidze and Dimitri Gvritishvili as members of the High Council of Justice by the Conference of Judges. We believe these decisions strengthen the clan-based governance in the court and prevent the fundamental reform of the justice system, that, among other things, is …