Rule of Games by High Council of Justice of Georgia

On November 30, 2023, the Georgian Court Watch held the event "Rules of the Game of the High Council of Justice", where the organization presented assessments and recommendations regarding the judicial system prepared on the base of more than 140 materials published on www.courtwatch.ge. The project CourtWatch.ge is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.

The current situation shows that the legislative processes that have been going on for years did not serve the declared goal of reforming the court system and establishing an independent, accountable and transparent judiciary. Moreover, in order to strengthen the existing informal power in the judicial authority, additional legal levers were put into effect in recent years, which had a negative impact on both the independence of judges and the functioning of the judicial system in general.

The key role in this process is assigned to the High Council of Justice, but its authority and activities do not correspond to democratic standards and do not serve the purpose of promoting fair justice. That is why, in connection with the fundamental changes in the High Council of Justice, the Georgian Court Watch has developed recommendations, which refer to both the manner of staffing the Council, the authority, as well as the amendments in the rules and practice  of the HCoJ.

The problems in the judicial system are caused by various reasons, including unbalanced and informal power, policy regarding human resources, levers affecting the independence of the judge, lack of accountability of the judicial system, unimplemented strategy and action plans.

Within the framework of the event, the organization also presented a package of recommendations: