On October 30, 2024, Public Defender of Georgia Levan Ioseliani visited the Tsalka municipality and held meetings with local self-government leaders, representatives of ethnic minorities and eco-migrants from Adjara and Svaneti regions settled in the Tsalka municipality.

Ongoing infrastructure projects, challenges related to water supply, electricity supply and gasification were discussed at the meetings. Difficulties in legalizing property rights and land registration were highlighted, which cause the most problems for eco-migrants and prevent them from determining their future prospects in the municipality.

Among the challenges faced by the representatives of minorities, inter alia, are the issues of getting a full-fledged education, eliminating gender inequality and using health and social protection services.

The meeting participants also talked about the necessity of universal introduction of the bilingual teaching method and the importance of the Zurab Zhvania State Administration School, one of the educational directions of which is the teaching and integration of the official language.

Special attention was paid to the state of women's involvement, in particular, their participation in local self-governments.

It should be noted that the Public Defender constantly meets the residents of different regions and personally gets information about their rights situation.

The second day of the ENNHRI General Assembly in Brussels centred around the pressing issue of securitisation and its impacts on European human rights. The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, joined discussions aimed at examining how National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) can respond to the growing trend of securitisation, which has intensified in recent years due to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The concept of securitisation refers to the process by which a state categorises certain issues as security concerns, thereby justifying extraordinary measures to address these threats. While such measures are often framed as necessary for public safety, they can adversely affect human rights, the rule of law, and democratic practices. These effects can include excessive restrictions, diminished transparency and accountability, and the erosion of civil liberties. As these practices become entrenched, securitisation can alter the standard legal and administrative frameworks governing state security.

ENNHRI has recognised securitisation as a significant thematic priority, with many NHRIs identifying it as a critical area for future preparedness. NHRIs, as independent bodies mandated to uphold human rights, have taken various approaches to respond to securitisation challenges. The responses differ across countries, reflecting diverse institutional structures and the unique challenges each NHRI faces. For instance, some NHRIs focus on addressing individual cases through litigation, while others emphasise monitoring activities, including visits to detention facilities and border areas. Additionally, many NHRIs work on providing general recommendations, conducting studies, and raising awareness of securitisation’s impact on human rights.

Today’s session also included a vote to elect ENNHRI’s Chair, Board members, the GANHRI Bureau, and the Finance Committee. Ms Louise Holck, Director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, was re-elected as Chair of ENNHRI. The new ENNHRI Board consists of six elected A-status NHRIs, each member holding a three-year term. The Board, led by the Chair, is responsible for setting ENNHRI’s strategic priorities and overseeing the network’s management and administration.

The Finance Committee, also elected by the General Assembly, is critical in overseeing ENNHRI’s financial health and recommending ways to strengthen the network’s financial outlook. This committee advises the Secretariat on financial administration and handles applications for membership fee waivers.

Summary of the decision: A person visited the local police station in Gävle to report an offence and handed in a written report. However, it took almost ten months for the police to draw up a report. During that time, a detective inspector had contacted the person who made the report and questioned the criminal nature of the what they reported and discussed individual aspects of the description of the offence. The Parliamentary Ombudsman states that the inspector instead should have promptly ensured that the complaint was processed and allowed an investigator to consider any questions during a subsequent review.

The Police Authority is severely criticised for not initially dealing with the report with sufficient urgency and for taking an unacceptably long time to draw up a police report. The detective inspector is also criticised for their actions.

The investigation also revealed that the possibilities for reporting an offence at the police station in question were very limited. The Parliamentary Ombudsman emphasises what he has said in other contexts, that is, that a lack of accessibility can damage public trust in the police and reduce the willingness to report crime.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman also makes statements on an authority’s obligation to assist the Parliamentary Ombudsman when it is conducting a review.

La activista Desirée Bela-Lobedde ofrecerá la conferencia “Yo no soy racista, pero...”

El acto se celebrará el martes 5 de noviembre, a las 10 h, en la sede de la institución

Presentamos la segunda edición de El altavoz de la síndica con una ponencia sobre racismo. La activista Desirée Bela-Lobedde será la encargada de ofrecer la conferencia “Yo no soy racista, pero...”, con el objetivo de hacernos ver el mundo desde otra perspectiva, es decir, verlo con las gafas del antirracismo.

En este acto, que está abierto a todo el mundo, abordaremos el concepto de racismo, los tipos de racismo existentes y cómo se manifiesta este fenómeno. También repasaremos los actos racistas que cometemos a diario y nos centraremos en cómo combatirlos.

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