On 27 September, the composition of the 9-member working group which will evaluate potential candidates for the new Public Defender of Georgia was announced.
According to the Georgian Parliament’s press service the group, which was created by Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, includes:
- Davit Asatiani – Chairperson of the Georgian Bar Association;
- Tamar Zarandia – Dean of the Faculty of Law at Tbilisi State University;
- Natia Kuprashvili – Chairperson of the Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasters;
- Raisa Liparteliani – Deputy Chairperson of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation;
- Elena Rusetskaya – Director of the Women’s Information Center;
- Arnold Stefaniani – Chairperson of Multinational Georgia;
- Nino Chkhobadze – Chairperson of the Green Movement of Georgia; former Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection (1995-2004);
- Eka Tsimakuridze – Chairperson of the Democracy Index Georgia;
- Levan Tsutskiridze – Director of the Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy.
The creation of a 9-member working group to evaluate Public Defender candidates by the Speaker of Parliament was adopted in an accelerated manner by Parliament on 9 September.
According to the changes, members of the working group will evaluate candidates based on their impartiality, high reputation, professional knowledge, and practical experience in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms, after which they will be presented to Parliament for consideration.
The changes also stipulate that Parliament can only start considering candidates if there are at least seven of them.
Also Read:
- Public Defender’s Office Criticizes Draft Bill on Nominating Ombudsman
- Georgian Dream Will Not Nominate Public Defender Candidates, says GD MP
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