Protection of prisoners’ rights has been one of the top priorities of GYLA for years now. GYLA’s activities in this regard are focused on a number of directions, including providing free legal aid to prisoners and their family members through GYLA’s offices in Tbilisi and in the regions. 

In the first half of 2011, tens of prisoners and their family members applied to GYLA’s offices in Tbilisi and in the regions for legal aid. Most frequently prisoners expressed their concern about poor health system and treatments provided in penitentiary facilities. Based on circumstances of cases concerned, GYLA’s lawyers provided consultations and prepared petitions or applications for due treatment, transfer of prisoners to other penitentiary facility, their release and/or transfer to treatment facility due to health problem. Furthermore, GYLA’s lawyers helped prisoners prepare petitions for their release on parole or for pardon.

 

During the reporting period, total of 174 letters were registered in Tbilisi office. Information about prisoners is also provided by their family members who visit our offices for consultation. During the reporting period, the legal aid center of GYLA’s office in Tbilisi visited and provided consultation to 192 prisoners in penitentiary facilities. We responded to 58 prisoners in written about issues of their interest and prepared various legal documents for 67 prisoners, including applications, cassation appeal, etc. 

 

Detailed information about free legal aid provided by GYLA’s offices in the regions is available.

 

It is further noteworthy that starting from 2011 GYLA has been able to join the National Preventive Mechanism group and participate in monitoring of pre-trial detention isolators and penitentiary facilities in Eastern Georgia. Representatives of GYLA together with other members of the group have participated in spring 2011 and winter 2012 monitoring missions. The monitoring is particularly focused on ill-treatment. Our participation in the monitoring has allowed us to reach out to even more prisoners, increased the number of legal consultations provided to prisoners and/or their family members as well as the frequency of preparing various documents of legal nature in GYLA’s offices in Tbilisi and in the regions. Whenever the Public Defender’s office was unable to act on prisoners’ applications and provide legal aid in frames of its mandate, it referred applications GYLA. 

 

Currently the foregoing activities are carried out with support of the Open Society Foundations. Throughout previous years these activities were carried out with the financial support of the OSCE Mission to Georgia. 

 

You may also view the information about GYLA’s activities for raising awareness and advocacy.

 

 

GYLA has been actively working for raising public awareness as well as the awareness of prisoners. Similar to previous years, we prepared brochures about prisoners’ rights for penitentiary facilities. Further, we prepared brochures and posters for detainees in pre-trial detention isolators and administrative prisoners. 

 

Currently the foregoing activities are carried out with financial support of the Open Society for Georgia Foundation. In previous years these activities were carried out with financial support of the OSCE Mission. 

 

 

Promoting effective, accountable and transparent governance in the penitentiary system is one of the most important pressing issues in Georgia. Therefore, it is our priority to prepare researches on pressing issues in the penitentiary research, hold meetings and roundtables. Most importantly, it is our goal to identify gaps in legislation and practice, and prepare subsequent recommendations. 

 

Currently the foregoing activities are carried out with financial support of the Open Society for Georgia Foundation. In previous years these activities were carried out with financial support of the OSCE Mission.