| Established | 1997  (28 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Types | nonprofit organization |
| Aim | human rights |
| Country | Georgia |
| Website | www |
Rights Georgia or Article 42 of the Constitution (until 2020 [1] ) is a Georgian non-governmental organisation that aims to promote human rights in Georgia via education, legal support and legislative actions. [2] [3] [4]
Rights Georgia was created in 1997, initially with the name "Article 42 of the Constitution", [2] which it changed to "Rights Georgia" [5] in 2020. [1]
The organisation aims to promote human rights in Georgia by educational actions about human rights, support for legal actions, and advocating for legislative changes. [2]
Rights Georgia's structure has a General Assembly as its top-level power. The Assembly elects a five-member Board – two members of Rights Georgia and three external people – for a two-year mandate. The Board elects an executive director for a two-year term. [1]
In 2010, Rights Georgia joined with four other Georgian human rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Human Rights Center (HRIDC), Georgian Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT), Sapari and Media Institute, forming a coalition called Human Rights House Tbilisi. [6] Rights Georgia is a member of the European Network on Statelessness as of 2025 [update] . [5]
Rights Georgia represented several victims of the Russo-Georgian War at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and helped the Norwegian Helsinki Committee conduct interviews for the committee's 2011 report on Georgian investigations into the crimes of the war. [7] : 6, 18 The organisation states that it is the first Georgian organisation to have presented (in 1999) and won cases at the ECHR. [1]
Rights Georgia states that it the first Georgian organisation to have filed and won a case with the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) committee. [1] As of 2020 [update] , the organisation states that it was representing 400 people at the International Criminal Court investigation in Georgia and the ECHR. [1]
Rights Georgia states that it won constitutional cases and contributed to improving human rights standards in Georgia via legislative actions. [1]
Rights Georgia provided information to Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies researchers for their 2020 report on human rights progress in Georgia, in particular in relation to the implementation of the Georgian Administrative Offences Code, in which there was, at the time, "no presumption of innocence and a low burden of proof". [4]
In 2021, Rights Georgia as a legal partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) developed, together with UNHCR, a guide for people seeking asylum in Georgia, listing rights and obligations of asylum seekers and key contact information. [3]