On 21 and 22 June 2018 an international conference on the topic “Challenges with regard to criminal law provisions on violence against women and domestic violence” (Comparative overview of the implementation of the Istanbul Convention) took place in Tblisi. The event was organised within the cooperation between the IRZ and the Ivane Javakhishvili Tblisi State University (TSU) and dealt with current topics of criminal law as well as important aspects of the reforms of the Georgian Criminal Code, which have become necessary in Georgia because of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
The conference was attended by representatives of the Georgian criminal justice system and professors of Tblisi State University. From Germany, Prof. Dr. Carmen Thiele, professor at the European University Viadrina, and Sebastian Sternberger, public prosecutor at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Wuppertal, contributed to the conference. During the two working days in Tblisi the participants had the opportunity to report about their practical experience and to discuss academic and practical aspects of the various legislative norms which have to be implemented into national law upon the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
The following topics were discussed:
The criminal offence of stalking according to German criminal law under the influence of Article 34 of the Istanbul Convention;
practical aspects of how to proceed in cases of domestic violence in Germany;
the prohibition of violence against women in the context of migration and asylum, as well as
the criminal prosecution of sexual violence according to the German criminal law under the influence of Article 36 of the Istanbul Convention.
The objective of the conference was to enable an exchange between German and Georgian law professionals. The presentations of the German and Georgian speakers initiated open and lively discussions and gave the Georgian colleagues an insight into the German criminal law system.
Expert discussions at the Ministry of Justice for the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany in Düsseldorf
On 16 and 17 April 2018, the IRZ organised a working visit to Germany by a delegation from the Georgian court management system. The delegation included the Head of the administrative unit for general jurisdiction in Georgia, Shota Karchava, and his deputy, Giorgi Kakauridze. The visit began with expert discussions at the Regional Court of Düsseldorf. The Court’s President, Dr. Bernd Scheiff, welcomed the Georgian guests and informed them about subjects including the planning of new court buildings, court management, accessibility, safety and many other practical concerns.
The delegation also paid a visit to the Ministry of Justice for the North Rhine-Westphalia region in Düsseldorf. Here, members of the delegation discussed safety standards in the justice system and concepts for the establishment of a new courthouse with judges Dr. Michael Scholz, Dr. Ludger Traut and Dr. Phil Schabestiel.
Finally, the Georgian guests visited the Local and Regional Court of Essen, where they were welcomed by the President of the Regional Court of Essen, Gudrun Jockels. Here, the judges at the Regional Court of Essen were available for intense discussions on court management in Germany. This was followed by a guided tour of the building of the local and the regional court.
The expert talks were considered by the Georgian guests to be very enriching and harmonious.
The Georgian participants with Thomas Müller (centre), Prison Director of the Karsruhe penal institution
From 22 to 24 February 2018, a training course was held for aspiring trainers at the Georgian Penitentiary and Probation Training Centre (PPTC) in Rustavi, Georgia. The course dealt with the requirements for handling and caring for prisoners with special needs.
Employees working in various functions at penal institutions throughout the whole of Georgia took part in the training course, including:
social workers,
psychologists and
supervisory staff.
In future, they should be able to hold further training courses for prison officers on these topics and therefore act as disseminators. The event was opened by the Director of the PPTC, Avtandil Mikanadze.
The Prison Director of the Karsruhe penal institution, Thomas Müller, attended the event as an IRZ expert and speaker. The speaker started by looking at enforcing long terms of imprisonment (planning, organisation, preparation for release, psychiatric problems amongst prisoners). Based on recommendations from the United Nations, he then talked about the process of dealing with prisoners with special needs:
women,
youths,
senior citizens,
prisoners with disabilities,
members of ethnic minorities and
foreign prisoners.
The participants in this event were highly committed and motivated. During the group work, they started by identifying and discussing the problems involved in working with prisoners with special needs. Following on from this, they drew up some potential topics and objectives for training prison staff.
