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 ....................................................................................................