Please Stand Up, Georgian Judicial System Died!

Please Stand Up, Georgian Judicial System Died!

Released judges of the Supreme Court appealed the decision of the Supreme Council Disciplinary Board in the same insitution's Council. Judges demand the abolishment of decision and discharge. The members of civil society agree with the point of view that there is a political rather than legal motivation for the case against judges.

According to the decision of the disciplinary commission, the judges of Supreme Court Nino Gvenetadze and Merab Turava were dismissed from their positions and judge Davit Sulakvelidze was given a warning.

“I think that the actions taken against us are unfair and unreasonable. We don’t have hopes of a fair decision from Disciplinary Council, but this is one more formal stage which we have to undergo. Four members of the board are the same people who made decision against us and there are 2 more members of the council. So it is clear why we don’t trust them,” said Nino Gvenetadze.

The judges are charged with two separate offences. According to the first, the judge named as the offending party was an unregistered wife and the mother of two children, and the second blame was late fulfillment of decisions. “Such violations can be given disciplinary punishment only when the case is in the process of consideration. This is elementary.  In this case, the decision was in the process of fulfillment. If they still think that it was the violation, then the judges from Big Chamber should stay along with them, as I can prove with documents that those who try criminal cases have the same problems fulfilling it.”

According to Merab Turava, The Supreme Council of Ministry of Justice fulfills the orders of three politicians, Nika Gvaramia (Legal Issue Committee Member in the Parliament), Giga Bokeria (Deputy Chairman of Legal Issue Committee in the Parliament), and Nino Kalandadze (Deputy Chairman of Legal Issue Committee in The Parliament). “These are the three people who made the decision against judges,” he stated.

The members of civil society agree with that there is political rather than legal motivation for the case against judges. These judges were the first ones who began talking about pressure they received from the government.

An initiative group which consists of Young Lawyers Association, Article 42 of the Constitution, the Human Rights Information and Documentation Centre, and more than ten NGOs made a public statement which states: “We, the representatives of civil community, consider that sentencing judges during the weekend, late in the night, which violated the rights of defender, is an inhuman and humiliating attitude toward judges. Persecution of judges by these methods, and their public punishment, is aimed to frighten workers within the judicial system and build syndrome of obedience within them.

We, the representatives of civil society, protest against the pressure on judicial system, support judges that have been dismissed illegally, and demand a fair attitude toward them.  We call for fulfillment of constitutional responsibilities considered by law.”

Anna Chckaidze