Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association has new chairwoman

Georgian legal expert Ana Natsvlishvili has become the new head of the leading Tbilisi-based legal advocacy Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association (GYLA).

Natsvlishvili replaced Kakha Kozhoridze as GYLA’s Chairwoman, who held the position since 2012.

The Georgian lawyer was previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary at the GYLA since 2013.

Natsvlishvili was elected from the board of GYLA’s director on December 23 and was presented by former chairman of GYLA Kakha Kozhoridze today at the press conference.

The new Charwoman believed it was honour for her to hold this position.

"I fully realise my responsibility. The priorities of GYLA will be the same. This is the organization where it is believed that people are free and equal before the law. GYLA has been the guard of the human rights, freedom and honour and we will continue our work on these directions,” Natsvlishvili said.

She believed it was important not only to protect the rights of individual people but also to contribute to establish solid, politically neutral institutions in the county in order to ensure the prevention of human rights violations and if such violations still occur to eliminate them.

In her career she has held the position of Specialist at the OSCE’s offices in Austria and Poland.

She has also served as an Associated Researcher at the Essex Transitional Justice Network in the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, Natsvlishvili held the regional project coordinator with the Human Rights Centre (HRIDC), a Georgia based NGO.

Natsvlishvili studied in Georgia, Hungary and the United Kingdom and graduated in 2012 from the University of Essex of International Human Rights Law.