(Tbilisi, December 17, 2002. Civil Georgia) – The Georgian Constitutional Court discusses today appeal of the citizens, supported by the Georgian Young Lawyers Association and the Public Defender’s Office, demanding elimination of the 12-hour detention incommunicado.
At the November 21 Parliament Session Interior Minister Koba Narchemashvili asked the parliament to consider expanding the 12-hour limit on primary detention of suspects, that caused human right advocacy organizations protest.
During these 12 hours, according to the current criminal procedure code, the suspect can be kept incommunicado, without the right to contact the relatives or the lawyer.
Human rights advocacy NGOs claim it is imperative that a person receives a status of detainee right at the moment of arrest, so that he or she has a defined legal status and has the right for defense.
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