11:00, 29 August 2003

Civil rights activists has sued Central Election Commission

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) filed a lawsuit against the Central Election Commission (CEC) in the Tbilisi District Court yesterday.

The GYLA and other human rights advocacy organizations protest against the ruling adopted by the CEC on August 25, which defines the principles of coverage of the election process by the state and private mass media.

"We hope the District Court will abolish the ruling, which violates the Constitution of Georgia. Another decision simply cannot be made," Tina Khidasheli of the GYLA said in the interview with the Rustavi 2 TV channel on August 28.

Georgian civil activists claim that the ruling, which prohibits the state and private mass media from broadcasting any reports that include pre-election campaigning, violates the voter's right to receive information, as well as the principle of freedom of expression and the right of the mass media to impart information without any restriction.

Source: Civil Georgia On-line Magazine