A/HRC/17/11 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, held its tenth session from 24 January to 4 February 2011. The review of Georgia was held at the 9th meeting on 28 January 2011. The delegation of Georgia was headed by Sergi Kapanadze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. At its 13th meeting held on 1 February 2011, the Working Group adopted the report on Georgia. 2. On 21 June 2010, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Georgia: Cameroon, Mexico and Ukraine. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to resolution 5/1, the following documents were issued for the review of Georgia: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/10/GEO/1 and Corr.1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/10/GEO/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/10/GEO/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Georgia through the troika. These questions are available on the extranet of the UPR. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. Sergi Kapanadze, Deputy Foreign Minister, introduced the national report of Georgia developed through inclusive inter-agency process and participation of the civil society. 6. The delegation stated that the Georgian Constitution safeguarded human rights and freedoms. The Constitutional amendments adopted in 2010 reinforced the balance of power among the various branches and strengthened the independence of the judiciary, inter alia, by introducing the lifetime appointment of judges. 7. The Constitutional Court of Georgia assessed the compatibility of legislation with human rights and freedoms. 8. The Office of the Ombudsman established in 1996 received status “A” in 2007. In 2008, the Ombudsman was designated as the national preventive mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. In June 2010, the mechanism published its first report. 9. The Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration enacted human rights acts and monitored their observance. At the executive level, human rights were dealt by various inter-agency councils and human rights monitoring units. 3