NGOs urge member of High Council of Justice Anna Dolidze to quit ‘if she has political ambitions’

Seven NGOs, including Transparency International Georgia and the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, have urged non-judge member of Georgia’s High Council of Justice Anna Dolidze to leave her post if she has plans to enter politics. 

Dolidze, who earlier chaired the Georgia’s Young Lawyers’ Association and served as deputy Defence Minister under the Georgian Dream leadership, was appointed to the High Council of Justice by ex-President Giorgi Margvelashvili back in 2018. 

Since then she has made numerous statements against the judge members of the High Council of Justice, an independent body responsible for the appointment of judges in Georgia, stating that the council is being run by a ‘clan of biased judges.’ 

At the end of May Dolidze founded a civic movement, For the People.

She said that people in Georgia still live in poverty and seek justice, adding that there are attempts ‘to kill the fighting soul’ in Georgians to ‘easily run’ them. 

Founding the civic movement by Dolidze sparked expectations that she may enter politics. Being in politics is incompatible with Dolidze’s current post. If she has plans to enter politics in the near future, we urge her to quit the post,” said the statement. 

 Dolidze stated in May that she had no plans to create a political party for now.