Page 13 - GEORptSep21

TI Georgia accuses government of “supporting clan of judges”
among the worst in Europe. Yet, while the church instigated violence, individual religiosity does not appear to be the culprit in whether or not someone is homophobic.
“The ruling party opted for a strategy of completely ignoring the processes, shifting the burden of responsibility entirely to concrete judges and the influential group within the judiciary,” reads a statement from Transparency International Georgia in response to the election of four members of the High Council of Justice (HCJ) by the Conference of Judges.
TI Georgia argued that the government and the ruling Georgian Dream party are operating “facade reforms”, trying to convince international partners and the Georgian public that it wants to reform the judicial system.
At the same time, the NGO blamed the government for refusing to admit the main problem of the system: the existence of “a clan of the judges”.
The appointments were carried out by ignoring calls by international partners and NGOs, and the positions of the clan dominating the judicial system were further strengthened as a result of this decision, said TI Georgia.
“The government’s inaction and evasion of actual responsibility pose a serious threat to the prospects of a fundamental judicial reform, which represents one of the important conditions of the 19 April agreement [to resolve Gergia's political crisis]. This state of affairs indicates that the government is not willing to carry out real reforms and take steps to defuse the political crisis that has taken shape in the country,” Georgia TI’s statement reads.
Transparency International and other NGOs, such as Social Justice Centre (formerly EMC), Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and the Open Society Foundation have recommended that parliament take firm steps towards judicial reforms and that the international community maintains an active role.
13 GEORGIA Country Report September 2021 www.intellinews.com