On 23-25 February 2015, Council of Europe (CoE) expert, Professor Manfred Nowak will be visiting Georgia on the invitation of the European Union/CoE joint programme “Human Rights in Prisons and Other Closed Institutions”.  During the visit, he will consult on the draft model of independent investigative mechanism with representatives of various government officials, members of parliament, civil society and the Ombudsman..

Investigation of serious human rights violations committed by members of the law enforcement bodies has different character, requiring additional guarantees for independence and transparency. Georgia does not have a separate body for investigating this kind of violations, although, there are number of successful models worldwide. The Government has decided to explore the possibility of establishing such mechanism based on the recommendations of the Council of Europe, European Union, United Nations (UN) and other international and local human rights monitoring organisations and also reflected this decision in its Human Rights Action Plan for 2014-2016. To respond to this initiative, draft model on independent investigative mechanism was developed and its assessment, as well as consultations on its implementation will be the aim of Mr Nowak’s visit.

The consultation meetings are part of CoE’s support to the Georgian government in establishing an independent investigative body. The draft model along with Mr Nowak’s assessment will be officially presented and debated on 25 February, at the Hotel “Holiday Inn” starting at 9:30. The event is co-organised by Open Society Georgia Foundation, UN and CoE.

The European Union/CoE Joint Programme “Human Rights in Prisons and Other Closed Institutions” was launched in July 2013. It aims to strengthen human rights and improve access to healthcare for persons deprived of their liberty.