Statement of the Georgian Court Watch on the interview of Judge Giorgi Arevadze of the Tbilisi City Court
07.12.2022
Georgian Court Wath calls on the speaker-judges of the Tbilisi City Court, Aleksandre Iashvili and Maia Kokiashvili, to fulfill their obligations and ensure public awareness about Mikheil Saakashvili's case.
On December 2022, 6, "TV Pirveli" released an interview with Judge of Tbilisi City Court Giorgi Arevadze, who will discuss the issue related to the execution of the verdict of the third president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. This interview once again confirms that the judiciary must inform the media and the public about the questions regarding the case.
To increase public trust in the judicial authorities, it is important to inform the public about the ongoing processes in the common courts. Ensuring public awareness is one of the key components for assessing the accountability of the judicial system. To achieve this goal, the speaker-Judge Institute is one of the effective means for the court to communicate with the public through media.
The Institute of Speaker-judges has existed in Georgia for years, but recent experience shows that at present the Institute of Speaker-judges is formal and exists only on paper. This was and still is one of the reasons that in several cases in the court, the judges directly discussing the case answer the questions of the media and not the speaker-judges.
The speaker-judge is appointed by the High Council of justice and it is within its competence to provide the necessary information and explanations about the decisions made by the court.
In one court, there may be several speaker-judges, according to specializations. Accordingly, on September 2022, 21, the High Council of Justice unanimously appointed Speaker-judges in Tbilisi City Courts:
1. Salome Gvelesiani, judge of civil cases collegium of Tbilisi City Court;
2. Aleksandre Iashvili, judge of criminal cases collegium of Tbilisi City Court;
3. Maia Kokiashvili, judge of the criminal collegium of Tbilisi City Court;
4. Lela Tsagareishvili, judge of the administrative cases collegium of the Tbilisi City Court.
It should be noted that Aleksandre Iashvili was appointed as a speaker-judge for the second time (the first time in 2018), but neither she nor other speaker-judges held a single press conference to inform the public about the decisions made by the court.
The Institute of Speaker-judge practically does not function in Georgian courts. Accordingly, the question arises whether it is the failure of specific speaker-judges to fulfill their obligations or is it the judicial system policy excludes the effectiveness of this institution. In any case, the judiciary is obliged to answer the questions that arise in society, especially concerning resonant cases, through speaker-judges.
The Georgian Court Watch will monitor the extent to which the speaker-judges will fulfill their obligations and whether they will provide the public with the necessary information.
On December 2022, 6, "TV Pirveli" released an interview with Judge of Tbilisi City Court Giorgi Arevadze, who will discuss the issue related to the execution of the verdict of the third president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili. This interview once again confirms that the judiciary must inform the media and the public about the questions regarding the case.
To increase public trust in the judicial authorities, it is important to inform the public about the ongoing processes in the common courts. Ensuring public awareness is one of the key components for assessing the accountability of the judicial system. To achieve this goal, the speaker-Judge Institute is one of the effective means for the court to communicate with the public through media.
The Institute of Speaker-judges has existed in Georgia for years, but recent experience shows that at present the Institute of Speaker-judges is formal and exists only on paper. This was and still is one of the reasons that in several cases in the court, the judges directly discussing the case answer the questions of the media and not the speaker-judges.
The speaker-judge is appointed by the High Council of justice and it is within its competence to provide the necessary information and explanations about the decisions made by the court.
In one court, there may be several speaker-judges, according to specializations. Accordingly, on September 2022, 21, the High Council of Justice unanimously appointed Speaker-judges in Tbilisi City Courts:
1. Salome Gvelesiani, judge of civil cases collegium of Tbilisi City Court;
2. Aleksandre Iashvili, judge of criminal cases collegium of Tbilisi City Court;
3. Maia Kokiashvili, judge of the criminal collegium of Tbilisi City Court;
4. Lela Tsagareishvili, judge of the administrative cases collegium of the Tbilisi City Court.
It should be noted that Aleksandre Iashvili was appointed as a speaker-judge for the second time (the first time in 2018), but neither she nor other speaker-judges held a single press conference to inform the public about the decisions made by the court.
The Institute of Speaker-judge practically does not function in Georgian courts. Accordingly, the question arises whether it is the failure of specific speaker-judges to fulfill their obligations or is it the judicial system policy excludes the effectiveness of this institution. In any case, the judiciary is obliged to answer the questions that arise in society, especially concerning resonant cases, through speaker-judges.
The Georgian Court Watch will monitor the extent to which the speaker-judges will fulfill their obligations and whether they will provide the public with the necessary information.
