Public defender reports 161 cases of discrimination in 2021 summary to parliament
Her office also said it had received 4,666 reports of human rights violations, with 11,126 calls made to its hotline. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian public defender Nino Lomjaria on Friday said 161 cases of discrimination had been identified by her office across the country in 2021, as she presented the annual report on the state of human rights protection at a plenary session of the parliament.
Lomjaria told lawmakers 17 percent of the cases - the highest share - had been related to alleged discrimination based on political opinion.
Her office also said it had received 4,666 reports of human rights violations, with 11,126 calls made to its hotline.
In 2021, the public defender prepared and submitted 67 recommendations and proposals on human rights matters to state agencies, with Lomjaria noting the highest number had been sent to the ministry of justice, the prosecutor general's office, the ministry of education and science and the ministry of internal affairs.
She also said 20 special reports, 17 constitutional claims and 4 communications for the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe had been prepared.
Lomjaria’s term in office expires at the end of the year. The parliament is required to elect the new ombudsperson in December in a decision that requires the votes of 90 MPs.
The Georgian parliament on Thursday adopted an initiative for electing the country’s next public defender by an open ballot.
Georgian Parliament on Thursday adopted the draft amendments to the regulations on the procedure of electing a new Public Defender with 80 votes at the second reading of the bill.
The ruling Georgian Dream party is ready to implement the rule for electing a Prosecutor General with a 3/5 quorum, as agreed by the Georgian political groups last year, within the framework of the EU-mediated agreement, proposed by European Council President Charles Michel, said Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling party on Thursday at a briefing.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday, announced that the party would not be presenting a candidate for the position of Public Defender, and the nomination of a candidate would be “completely entrusted” to the opposition and civil sector.