The final Steering Committee meeting was organised to close the two-year Council of Europe project entitled "Juvenile and Adult Detainees Support” (JADES) in Georgia.
The meeting was an important forum for assessment of the main achievements of the project and its impact. Participants highlighted the role played by the project in strengthening the protection of detainees’ rights and improving the specific safeguards required for the treatment of juveniles deprived of their liberty. Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, underlined the added value of the JADES project which addressed key priorities for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Vahagn Muradyan, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, recalled the organisation’s support to the Georgian authorities in combating ill-treatment and protecting human rights.
Participants took note of the project’s accomplishments in supporting the prevention of ill-treatment by the police and expressed their commitment to pursue such efforts in the context of future cooperation with the Council of Europe. The discussions resulted in a number of recommendations for future actions that would contribute to further strengthening the role of the police in protecting human rights. Sophia Jiadze, Deputy State Inspector highlighted the need to support institutional strengthening and widening of the mandate of the State Inspector’s Service, in line with the best European standards and practices. Giorgi Burjanadze, Deputy Public Defender, emphasised on the need for relevant monitoring instruments, which would contribute to the effective monitoring of the protection of human rights by police services including police custodial services.
Oscar Alarcón-Jiménez, Programme Manager at the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Cooperation Unit, confirmed that the Council of Europe would be able to fund a two-year project to start in July 2021. This forthcoming project will build on the past achievements and continue to support the authorities in ensuring that the policing responsibilities in Georgia are discharged in an effective and accountable manner through enhanced compliance with human rights standards.
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