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Country of Origin Information Report Republic of Georgia 25 November

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Country of Origin Information Report Republic of Georgia 25 November REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT Country of Origin Information Service 25 November 2010 GEORGIA 25 NOVEMBER 2010 Contents Preface Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.05 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Post-communist Georgia, 1990-2003.................................................................. 3.02 Political developments, 2003-2007...................................................................... 3.03 Elections of 2008 .................................................................................................. 3.05 Presidential election, January 2008 ................................................................... 3.05 Parliamentary election, May 2008 ...................................................................... 3.06 Armed conflict with Russia, August 2008 .......................................................... 3.09 Developments following the 2008 armed conflict.............................................. 3.10 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................................... 4.01 5. STATUS OF SOUTH OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA AND ADJARA ................................................. 5.01 6. CONSTITUTION.......................................................................................................... 6.01 Constitutional Court............................................................................................. 6.07 7. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 7.01 Human Rights (excluding South Ossetia and Abkhazia) 8. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 8.01 9. SECURITY SITUATION ................................................................................................ 9.01 10. CRIME...................................................................................................................... 10.01 11. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 11.01 Police..................................................................................................................... 11.04 Human rights violations by the police............................................................ 11.06 Excessive use of force ....................................................................................... 11.07 Arbitrary arrest and detention............................................................................. 11.09 Torture................................................................................................................ 11.10 Extra-judicial killings........................................................................................... 11.12 Police accountability........................................................................................ 11.13 Intelligence services, rapid reaction forces and border guard ........................ 11.14 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 11.17 Alleged human rights violations during the 2008 armed conflict with Russia ..... 11.20 12. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 12.01 South Ossetia and Abkhazia ............................................................................... 12.05 13. JUDICIARY................................................................................................................ 13.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 13.01 Independence ....................................................................................................... 13.03 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 13.05 14. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 14.01 15. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 15.01 16. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 16.01 17. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 17.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 17.01 Freedom of association and assembly............................................................... 17.03 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 17.06 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 2 November 2010. 25 NOVEMBER 2010 GEORGIA 18. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA............................................................................... 18.01 19. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS .................................... 19.01 Office of the Public Defender of Georgia ........................................................... 19.01 Treatment of human rights NGOs and activists ................................................ 19.03 20. CORRUPTION............................................................................................................ 20.01 21. FREEDOM OF RELIGION.............................................................................................. 21.01 Religious demography......................................................................................... 21.04 Yezidis................................................................................................................ 21.05 Status of government respect for freedom of religion...................................... 21.08 Societal abuses or discrimination ...................................................................... 21.10 22. ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 22.01 23. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS .............................................. 23.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 23.02 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state and religious authorities........................ 23.06 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 23.09 Access to health services.................................................................................... 23.12 Organisations providing support to the LGBT community .............................. 23.14 24. DISABILITY ............................................................................................................... 24.01 25. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 25.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 25.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 25.04 Political participation ........................................................................................... 25.06 Social and economic rights................................................................................. 25.07 Violence against women...................................................................................... 25.09 Rape................................................................................................................... 25.09 Domestic violence .............................................................................................. 25.10 Other violence against women ........................................................................... 26.14 26. CHILDREN ................................................................................................................ 26.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 26.01 Basic legal information ....................................................................................... 26.03 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 26.04 Violence against children .................................................................................... 26.08 Childcare and protection ..................................................................................... 26.11 Education .............................................................................................................. 26.14 Health and welfare................................................................................................ 26.16 Documentation ....................................................................................................
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