Monitoring criminal cases to protect political and civil rights in the context of the 2024 parliamentary elections

It is crucial to maintain an electoral environment free from the misuse of criminal justice mechanisms. Beginning in August 2024, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, with the support of the USAID Rule of Law Program, is launching a new project focused on protecting civil and political rights through the monitoring of criminal cases. 

GYLA will monitor criminal cases of high public interest, particularly those that are significant in the context of the 2024 parliamentary elections due to their content 

Below are the categories of criminal cases that GYLA will monitor: 

1. Cases of persons detained in the context of protests against Russian law; 

1. Cases related to election processes (referring to the prosecution of representatives of election subjects or persons associated with them, potentially aimed at politically neutralizing the election subject); 

1. Cases related to 2024 parliamentary elections and freedom of expression; 

1. Cases conducted in order to neutralize media; cases related to the prosecution of journalists based on their professional activities; 

1. Other matters of high public interest; or related to the persecution of people allegedly on political or other grounds. 

If you have information on a criminal case with the above criteria, contact us at: courtmonitoring@gyla.ge; +995 577 07 05 32. 

The organization will monitor the procedural guarantees related to the criminal process and, if necessary, review the criminal case materials. It will also prepare an appropriate analysis of the compliance of the general courts with criminal law, constitutional standards, and international human rights standards. 

GYLA has been monitoring criminal justice processes since 2011, utilizing a pre-developed methodology and questionnaires. To date, the organization has produced 18 monitoring reports on criminal justice processes, issued 2 special reports, and published a manual on monitoring criminal justice processes. The purpose of this monitoring is to enhance the transparency and accountability of the justice system, identify challenges within the criminal justice system, and provide the public with objective information on criminal cases of significant public interest.