Promoting Prosecutorial Independence through Monitoring and Engagement (PrIME) is the European Union funded initiative implemented by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) in cooperation with the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) Georgia and the Studio Monitor. PrIME aims to support the increase of an external and internal independence of the Prosecution Service of Georgia for ensuring impartiality and fairness in the Georgian prosecution and investigation systems.
Specific Objectives of the action are twofold:
-
- Increase the accountability of Prosecution Service of Georgia (internal independence) to ensure they meet the Strategy of the Prosecution Service of Georgia, international and EU standards;
-
- Empower information exchange between institutions: Government of Georgia (GoG), civil society organizations (CSOs), media as well as general public so that the public is knowledgeable and aware about issues of the ongoing major reforms in Prosecution Service of Georgia.
The Action assumes a comprehensive approach, as part of which IDFI and its partners will work in four main directions: monitoring, media investigation, capacity building, and outreach and awareness. Entire Monitoring process from the baseline survey to policy recommendations, will be aimed at increasing the accountability of PSG, and involving and informing the public about ongoing processes in the PSG, with the ultimate goal of slowly changing the culture of reforming the law enforcement system and implementing various policies without the involvement of and dialogue with the public.
Under PrIME CRRC-Georgia will hold four nationwide telephone surveys that will follow broadcasting of investigative journalism videos by Studio Monitori.
In the final year of the project CRRC-Georgia will hold a nationally representative public opinion survey on issues related to the Prosecutor’s Office and justice.
The first wave of the telephone survey following the film by Studio Monitor and Radio Liberty “How to subjugate a judge”, held in November 2018.
The second wave of the telephone survey following the film by Studio Monitor and Radio Liberty “Judges in the government’s service”, held in January-February 2019.
The third wave of the telephone survey following the film by Studio Monitor and Radio Liberty “8 years in search of justice”, held in March 2019. The telephone survey included an experiment, results of which are described here.
The fourth wave of the telephone survey following the film by Studio Monitor and Radio Liberty “The Winner’s Justice”, held in March 2020.
The public opinion survey representative of the adult population of Georgia, which explored people’s attitudes towards the Prosecutor’s Office and prosecutors, their knowledge of the Prosecutor’s Office’s goals and activities, experience with the Prosecutor’s Office and usage of communication challens of the Prosecutor’s office. The survey was initially planned as a face-to-face survey (CAPI), however, due to the threats related to the spread of Covid-19, the method was changed to the telephone survey (CATI). Report summarizing the results of the public opinion survey is available in Georgian.
