The Tbilisi Appeal Court Upheld the Decision of the Tbilisi City Court into the Case of Illegally Dismissed Patrol Inspector

Today, June 24, the Tbilisi Appeal Court did not satisfy the lawsuit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Patrol Police Department of the MIA, where they requested to annul the January 28, 2016 judgment of the Tbilisi City Court.

With its January 28, 2016 decision the Tbilisi City Court satisfied the lawsuit of the illegally sacked patrol inspector Joseb Abuladze. Ministry of Internal Affairs is ordered to restore him to the previous working place and to reimburse salaries of the missed months. 

In April 2016, the MIA and Patrol Police Department appealed the decision of the Tbilisi City Court at the Appeal Court. Having discussed the lawsuit, the Tbilisi Appeal Court upheld the decision of the first instance court. 

Joseb Abuladze’s dismissal was connected with the incident of June 14, 2014, when he was patrolling nearby the Metekhi Bridge to control the traffic movement towards the temporarily blocked street. During the patrolling, he stopped a BMW, whose driver tried to drive into the blocked street. The citizen spoke in an abusive tone with the patrol inspector for what the latter rebuked him. The driver turned up an acquaintance of a senior official at the General Inspection of the MIA Erekle Tchokhonelidze; the disobedient driver was allegedly going to the same party in Shardeni Street where Tchokhonelidze was himself at that night. Several days later, the senior official of the General Inspection summoned Joseb Abuladze to his office, requested his clarifications about the incident and severely reprimanded him. 

Joseb Abuladze addressed to the Public Defender of Georgia and human rights organizations with regard to his breached labor rights. In December 2014, Public Defender issued recommendation to the Minister of Interior (N 04-5/14244 - 09/12/2014)) where he noted that Joseb Abuladze had received severe reprimand through blatant violation of the law. 

After the reprimand, oppression on the patrol inspector increased. On September 16, 2014 he was summoned to the Ministry and informed about dismissal.

In October 2014, Human Rights Center and Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association appealed to the Tbilisi City Court and requested restoration of the patrol inspector to his working place and reimbursement of the missed salaries; the lawsuit was satisfied with January 28, 2016 decision.

Lawyer Tamar Avaliani of Human Rights Center and Lawyer Mikheil Jakhua of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) represented his interests at the Tbilisi Appeal Court. 

Human Rights Center