Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen says European Court of Human Rights’s decision further proof that Georgia’s judiciary functioning “at a high standard”

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said that the latest decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case “Pirtskhalava v. Georgia” was further proof that Georgia’s judiciary was functioning at a high standard and that the verdict issued by Georgian courts was “absolutely correct”.

Kaladze’s remarks came after the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday declared inadmissible the complaints submitted over the independence and impartiality of the judges of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The Court upheld the legal position of the Georgian Ministry of Justice, supported by relevant evidence, and rejected the complaints in the cases Pirtskhalava and Y against Georgia and Goginashvili against Georgia.

Speaking to media representatives, Kaladze said the ruling exposes the political speculation that, in his words, had surrounded this and other cases as “a farce”.

“This decision is yet another confirmation that the Georgian judiciary is up to the mark, and the judgment that was delivered was entirely correct. All the political speculation we heard about this and other cases was nothing but a farce. This is not the first case the ECHR court has declined to take. And even when it does take a case, the rulings of the Georgian courts often remain valid. We have seen many such examples in recent years. This once again shows that people who commit crimes frequently try to manipulate public opinion using their political status - or perhaps being a journalist, and so on. They always try to conceal themselves behind a status. But the law is the same for everyone, and we must all be accountable before it”, Kaladze said.

He added that while Georgia’s judiciary may not be perfect, it is vastly different from what it was before 2012.

“Reforms are ongoing. Nobody liked the judiciary as it was before 2012. Just look at the statistics and the outcomes - it’s very easy to compare.

Today, we have a completely different judicial system. It may not be the best, but the difference between what we had before 2012 and what we have now is like night and day. We are moving forward, implementing reforms in every direction, and the judiciary is doing everything it can to meet the highest standards”, he concluded.