The News in Brief
Tuesday, March 29
Car dealers demonstrate against ban on right-hand drive vehicles
Car dealers demonstrated in Rustavi on Friday against the government’s initiative to ban the registration of right-hand drive cars from 2017.
The protest took place at Georgia’s largest car market, located in Rustavi, a town 20km south of the capital.
Some of the dealers want the government to postpone the ban for at least two years, while others are opposed to the ban entirely.
Those who want to postpone the ban claim that they will have to stop purchasing cars from Japan in September, which means that the preparation period for them will be reduced from one year to only six months.
Dealers say they have advantageous contracts with Japan, with low interest rates. Such contract conditions are not available if they purchase from Europe or the United States.
“We need more time to transition our business,” one of the protesters told journalists.
Other dealers are completely against a ban on the registration of right hand drive cars, and proposed instead to find other ways to address traffic safety, including modifying the cars by moving the steering wheel.
A few days ago, the Deputy Interior Minister said the government is considering postponing the ban until January 1 2017.
(DF watch)
Ombudsman launches campaign "Self-timer is turned on" against leak of private life videos
The Public Defender has launched information campaign - "Self-timer is turned on" against the release of the video footage showing private life, the Public Defender’s Office reports.
As Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili has said at a press conference today, the aim of the campaign is for the investigating authorities to quickly and efficiently identify and punish those who illegally obtained/created and disseminated the video footage showing the private life of a politician on March 11 2016, and for the public to permanently receive information on the progress and the results of the investigation.
“The public has a legitimate question, which should be answered by the authorities: 'Who obtained and released the video footage showing private life and how to eliminate the risk of recurrence of similar incidents?'”
“In order to restore society’s sense that private lives are protected in the country and to eliminate the syndrome of impunity, it is necessary to effectively investigate each similar fact and to properly inform the public of the results of the investigation.”
As the Public Defender said, his office will supervise the process of the investigation.
According to him, he had a meeting with the Chief Prosecutor about the issue.
(IPN)
President presented two female candidates as Supreme Court Judges
The President has represented two candidates - Tamar Laliashvili and Nona Todua - for the position of Supreme Court Judges. The meeting was held at the Presidential Administration.
Giorgi Margvelashvili states that both candidates are competent professionals. The President is confident that these two judges will play an important role in the independence of the judiciary.
(Rustavi 2)
Car dealers demonstrated in Rustavi on Friday against the government’s initiative to ban the registration of right-hand drive cars from 2017.
The protest took place at Georgia’s largest car market, located in Rustavi, a town 20km south of the capital.
Some of the dealers want the government to postpone the ban for at least two years, while others are opposed to the ban entirely.
Those who want to postpone the ban claim that they will have to stop purchasing cars from Japan in September, which means that the preparation period for them will be reduced from one year to only six months.
Dealers say they have advantageous contracts with Japan, with low interest rates. Such contract conditions are not available if they purchase from Europe or the United States.
“We need more time to transition our business,” one of the protesters told journalists.
Other dealers are completely against a ban on the registration of right hand drive cars, and proposed instead to find other ways to address traffic safety, including modifying the cars by moving the steering wheel.
A few days ago, the Deputy Interior Minister said the government is considering postponing the ban until January 1 2017.
(DF watch)
Ombudsman launches campaign "Self-timer is turned on" against leak of private life videos
The Public Defender has launched information campaign - "Self-timer is turned on" against the release of the video footage showing private life, the Public Defender’s Office reports.
As Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili has said at a press conference today, the aim of the campaign is for the investigating authorities to quickly and efficiently identify and punish those who illegally obtained/created and disseminated the video footage showing the private life of a politician on March 11 2016, and for the public to permanently receive information on the progress and the results of the investigation.
“The public has a legitimate question, which should be answered by the authorities: 'Who obtained and released the video footage showing private life and how to eliminate the risk of recurrence of similar incidents?'”
“In order to restore society’s sense that private lives are protected in the country and to eliminate the syndrome of impunity, it is necessary to effectively investigate each similar fact and to properly inform the public of the results of the investigation.”
As the Public Defender said, his office will supervise the process of the investigation.
According to him, he had a meeting with the Chief Prosecutor about the issue.
(IPN)
President presented two female candidates as Supreme Court Judges
The President has represented two candidates - Tamar Laliashvili and Nona Todua - for the position of Supreme Court Judges. The meeting was held at the Presidential Administration.
Giorgi Margvelashvili states that both candidates are competent professionals. The President is confident that these two judges will play an important role in the independence of the judiciary.
(Rustavi 2)