The Public Defender expresses his sorrow over the casualties caused by the collapse of the facade of a residential building located on Tevdore Mghvdeli Street in Tbilisi on July 14. According to reports, two people lost their lives and one person sustained health injuries. The Public Defender expresses his condolences to the family members of the deceased and their relatives.

According to the Tbilisi City Hall, the building located on Tevdore Mghvdeli Street was assigned the third category of dilapidation. For years, citizens living in various categories of damaged houses have been addressing the Public Defender's Office with regard to their right to live in a safe environment. Despite the existence of a rule for replacing dilapidated multi-apartment residential buildings in the territory of Tbilisi Municipality, many families have to live in a dangerous environment for years. It is worth emphasizing that such dilapidated buildings pose a danger to both residents and citizens who may be moving and/or working nearby. Cases studied over the years show that dealing with this systemic problem requires timely and effective steps, which the existing legislative guarantees and programmes cannot provide.

The Public Defender’s Office has launched an examination of the incident on Tevdore Mghvdeli Street and will study issues related to the right of residents of dilapidated buildings and other citizens to live in a safe environment and the measures taken/to be taken by the responsible agencies.