UN OHCHR Supports Cooperation between and Strengthening of Independent Human Rights State Institutions in Georgia

The State Inspector’s Service and Public Defender of Georgia are independent state institutions that play a critical role in protection of human rights and freedoms within their jurisdiction in Georgia.

Strengthening the cooperation between these two institutions was the main purpose of the meeting organized by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) in the South Caucasus within the framework of the Human Rights for All programme. It is a joint initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), implemented by UN OHCHR and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  

The meeting enabled the participants to analyze legal and practical aspects of the activities under the mandate of the State Inspector, in particular, the investigation of crimes committed by the representatives of the state law enforcement bodies. Issues related to an effective information exchange about detention cases, situation in the detention facilities and individual complaints were broadly discussed.

Furthermore, the exchange of points touched upon the mandate of the inspector, the issues and challenges identified in the Annual Report submitted to the Parliament by the Public Defender that are relevant to the State Inspector’s mandate.

Public Defender Nino Lomjaria emphasized the importance of an effective cooperation between the Public Defender’s Office and the State Inspector's Service in the context of eliminating ill-treatment in the country.

“Support from an international organization is vital for an independent oversight body at an early stage of its development. I would like to thank UN OHCHR for all the support it has provided to the State Inspector’s Service in Georgia. I am glad that the relationship between the State Inspector’s Service and the Public Defender is a good example of cooperation and I am sure that through joint efforts, we will certainly achieve common goals.”  -  said the State Inspector, Londa Toloraia.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the legislative amendments that will ensure the effective implementation of the investigative function by the State Inspector's Office and the solution of the existing challenges.

"UN OHCHR is pleased to support close cooperation and coordination between these two key state institutions. We hope that they will be able to make tangible progress in terms of torture prevention and effective investigation of human rights violations in Georgia.” - said UN OHCHR Senior Human Rights Adviser for the South Caucasus, Vladimir Shkolnikov.

The European Union (EU) and the OHCHR in the South Caucasus have been supporting the strengthening of state human rights institutions and the refinement of their legal framework since 2016. Amongst them is the Office of the State Inspector, which with an active support of the UN OHCHR (as well as other international and local organizations) was given a function of an independent investigative mechanism in 2019.