On January 22, 2023, Prevention for Progress (PFP), together with the local civil society organization, Civil Engagement and Activism Center, organized a discussion in Marneuli on the availability of court services in the Kvemo Kartli region.

Twenty-one participants, including representatives of the Public Defender's Office (PDO), non-governmental organizations, and local political parties, and civil society activists attended the meeting.

Mariam Orzhonia, the PDO representative, spoke about local access to justice problems, highlighting the difficulties of overcoming the language barrier. Ms. Orzhonia also discussed Georgia’s State Strategy for Civic Equality and Integration (2023-2030), pointing to the failure in the strategy to explicitly mention unique needs of ethnic minorities in accessing justice.

The attendees discussed the need to improve the level of Georgian language teaching in the region and emphasized the importance of translating court forms and other documents into minority languages. Cases were named where individuals suffered substantial property losses due to language barriers and a lack of interpreter services.

Local media outlets Radio Marneuli and 24news.ge covered the event. The USAID Rule of Law Program supported the meeting as part of its effort to help improve access to justice among the ethnic minorities living in the municipalities of Marneuli and Bolnisi.