Ombudsman: Irakli Kobakhidze's statement is an attempt to put pressure on the Public Defender's Representatives / Experts due to their professional opinions
The Public Defender of Georgia responds to the statement of Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the Georgian Dream, where he speaks about the possible responsibility of the Public Defender and the doctors invited by Ombudsman.
According to a statement issued by the Public Defender's Office, this rhetoric goes beyond the legal framework, is an attempt to attack and intimidate the independent constitutional body and its experts, and is contrary to national and international human rights obligations.
According to the Office of the Public Defender, the Organic Law on the Public Defender of Georgia gives the Public Defender the authority to invite experts and specialists to perform expert activities. This authority was used by the Public Defender of Georgia on November 16, 2021 and a multidisciplinary group of experts was set up to evaluate Mikheil Saakashvili's medical services. After that, the chairman of the Georgian Dream tries to talk about the "possible future responsibility" of the Public Defender and experts without any legal arguments, for some abstract reasons. This is an attempt to put pressure on the representatives / experts of the Public Defender of Georgia due to their professional views, which is contrary to both the Constitution of Georgia and international principles.
"We call on the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE / ODIHR, the Diplomatic Missions and the Ombuds accredited in Georgia to investigate this fact and assess it within their mandate. Contrary to the principles of Paris and the principles of Venice, the Public Defender of Georgia faces obstacles in the implementation of her mandate and there is a risk that in the future the experts will refuse to cooperate with the Public Defender.
Once again we would like to thank the qualified and conscientious medical professionals who managed to prepare the assessment in a timely manner. We also call on the relevant professional associations to support them", - the statement said.
For reference, according to Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the Georgian Dream, what the council created by the Public Defender has done is "fake".
"Imagine there is a follow up to this 'fake report', which is the transfer of Mikheil Saakashvili to a civilian clinic, and this is the scenario we fear - in this case, this next 'fake' turns into something that could be the direct responsibility of the ombudsman and specific doctors", - says Kobakhidze.
