On August 31, a meeting on the election of the public defender was held in Parliament by the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and NGOs. Mikheil Sarjveladze, a member of the GD, thinks it is crucial to pay attention to how NGOs run elections. "The public defender election process, which will be the most impartial, balanced, efficient, and inclusive process, will be presented up until September 1st," Sarjveladze continued.
The US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, says that the appointment of the public defender is very important and a great chance for Parliament to have a process that includes a lot of people. "The moment has come for as many pertinent voices to be heard, not for a closed-off and exclusive procedure," she added. "It’s very important to note that the previous selection process was very well-regarded by international agencies that regulate how public defenders are selected. In fact, Georgia received a high ranking the last time the Public Defender was selected because the process was inclusive. It included NGOs. It included many voices. If Georgia wants to retain that very strong ranking that it received from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, it must follow the principles that are laid out as international best practices, the Paris Principles. There are many guidelines for Georgia to follow and come up with a public defender that will really be a consensus candidate recognised by all of the stakeholders," Degnan told reporters on August 31.
According to her, the Venice Commission's recommendations and similar cases present Georgia with an opportunity to strengthen its legal framework, ensure that there are safeguards in place to prevent violations of citizens' rights, and, in this instance, ensure that the privacy of cell phone conversations and other personal information is protected.
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