On 2 May 2014, the Georgian Parliament passed the Law on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. The law bans all forms of discrimination, including that based on language, religion, and sexual orientation. While Georgia’s constitution already included the protection of universally
recognized human rights and freedoms as eternal and supreme human values, there was an urgent need to introduce a comprehensive antidiscrimination framework and enforce fundamental equality before the law. The Georgian Government’s commitments under the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan with the EU provided another impetus for the adoption of legislation that protected the rights of minorities.
This report presents a summary of the work of the Coalition for Equality during the period of May 2014 through 1 April 2015. The first chapter describes the cases litigated by the Coalition during this period. The second chapter discusses the Public Defender’s successes and shortcomings in implementing the antidiscrimination law. The third chapter focuses on procedural complexities, discovered as Coalition members brought antidiscrimination claims before the courts. The fourth chapter presents a set of comprehensive recommendations intending to advance the implementation of the antidiscrimination law. The final chapter of the report describes the Coalition for Equality.