Dear all, I’m on freelance assignment in Georgia. I managed to interview Georgia's Prime Minister Vladimir Gurgenidze and asked him to explain why Georgia passed legislation that lowers the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12.
Human Rights Watch (HWR) issued a report earlier this month and made an appeal to the Georgian government to rescind this controversial legislation. On June 6, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Child expressed “deep regret” and urged Georgia to increase the age to 14.
"Rather than making plans to lock up 12-and 13-year-olds, the Georgian government should study best international practice on addressing and preventing crime by children. It should develop social support and other preventive services appropriate to Georgia's culture and conditions and to its responsibilities,” said Mary Murphy, director of Penal Reform International's South Caucasus Office
The Prime Minister's response was unequivocal and he deferred the question to the Ministry of Justice. He would not offer an opinion on the matter either. I recorded the entire interview and if I manage to overcome some technical glitches, I’ll post this segment online.
Since the 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgia has made remarkable progress. It has restored its financial order, fought corruption, crime, and made sweeping economic reforms that are transforming this tiny nation of 4.6 million. As you may know, Georgia is currently embroiled in a tense conflict over its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However, this is an altogether different story and probably doesn't belong in this blog.
