Women's rights violated in Georgia

Service women discharged from Georgia's Armed Forces are going to re-enlist through court proceedings. This is what Ucha Nanuashvili, chief executive of the Information and Documentation Centre for Human Rights Protection, said at a press conference on 6 April, according to News Georgia agency.

He said five service women of the medical company of Georgia's Defence Ministry had lodged a suit with a Tbilisi court demanding that the order for their discharge should be cancelled.

Nanuashvili explained service women Shorena Sadagashvili, Madonna Tsaava, Khatia Longurashvili, Natia Gurabalidze and Lieutenant Maya Goderdzishvili were on 4 October 2004 discharged from the Armed Forces while on maternity leave, without warning. The plaintiffs knew about their discharge only on 7 March 2005.

Two women who applied to the Defence Ministry were offered re-enlistment with their previous record cancelled. They disagreed and filed a lawsuit.

Hearing of the suit has not yet begun. Some time ago, the same court ruled in favour of another service woman of the medical company, Lieutenant Maka Kukava, discharged under analogous circumstances. She has not yet been re-enlisted though.

Nanuashvili remarked the Georgian labour law prohibits dismissal of pregnant women and women with children under three. "The order to discharge the service women on maternity leave violates the law on the status of service personnel, the labour legislation and the law on public service," he said. The human rights centre leader expressed hope the court would rule in favour of the former service women. He added this was not the only case of illegal discharge from the Georgian Armed Forces.

More about women's rights in Georgia:

Human Rights Practices in Georgia - 2004