Public defender reports 161 cases of discrimination in 2021 summary to parliament

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.