EIN and GYLA February Training - Implementing Judgments of the ECtHR in Georgia
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On the 14th of February 2023, EIN and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) held training in Tbilisi on the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments in Georgia.
Judgments of the ECtHR have great potential to protect fundamental rights. Governments must provide justice for victims and ensure that repetitive structural and systemic issues do not continue by fully and effectively implementing the ECtHRs rulings. At the same time, NGOs have a vital role in the implementation process as they can contribute to ECtHR implementation by pressuring the national authorities to carry out necessary individual and general measures.
As of January 2022, out of Georgia's leading cases from the last ten years, 61% are still pending implementation. These cases, on average, remain pending for almost four years.
This training aimed to enhance the capacity of civil society in Georgia to engage with the process of implementation of judgments of the ECtHR.
The training event was introduced by Julie Nielen, Second Secretary at the Embassy of the Netherlands to Georgia. George Stafford, EIN Director, and Tamar Oniani, GYLA Head of the International Litigation Team, welcomed participants and provided opening comments.
After participants introduced themselves, George Stafford discussed the challenge of ECtHR non-implementation and why advocating for the implementation of ECtHR judgments can be a key to making progress in human rights protection in Georgia.
Next, Ioana Iliescu, EIN Law and Advocacy Officer, held a presentation about domestic advocacy for ECtHR implementation, setting out examples of good practices which have led to positive developments.
The following presentation was given by Ketevan Tskhomelidze, Legal officer at Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Ms. Tskhomelidze joined the group online and discussed the basics of the supervision system.
The final presentation was given by Agnes Ciccarone, EIN Programme Manager, provided participants with tips on drafting Rule 9 submissions.
In the afternoon session, EIN held individual meetings with NGOs representatives discussing selected cases pending implementation.
We thank everyone who joined the event, and we hope to see your submissions and engagement with the implementation of ECtHR judgments in the future.