HRW: Georgia violates rights of detainees for alleged administrative offences

Many provisions of the Administrative Code of Georgia are legally untenable and violate human rights, says the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and encourages the Georgian authorities to amend the Code in order to guarantee the rights of detainees.

On January 4, the HRW published a report entitled "Administrative Error: Defective System of Administrative Detention in Georgia", which presents analysis of the Georgian Administrative Code.

The HRW experts decided to study the Administrative Code after dispersal of the protest action at night on May 26, 2011. Then, the law enforcement bodies detained 150 people. Many of them were not allowed to call their relatives to inform about their whereabouts. The right to make a telephone to relatives is not specified in the Administrative Code, same as the right to remain silent and have an advocate, the report said.

Under the Administrative Code, the police of Georgia may detain a person for disorderly conduct or violation of the law and order for 12 hours without any explanations, says the report, as noted by the "Echo of the Caucasus".

According to Kakha Andjaparidze, deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, most people in Georgia agree with the HRW's report, which regards the current Administrative Code as obsolete.

According to his story, the Parliament of Georgia intends to adopt a radically new Code of Administrative Offences, which is now drafted.

When asked whether the new draft would account for the observations contained in the report of the HRW, Mr Andjaparidze said that he was not aware with the issues raised in the report; therefore, he found it difficult to respond to specific comments, the "Georgia Online" reports.