On February 12, 2015, through information disseminated in the electronic media, the Public Defender of Georgia became aware that wheelchair users who had been invited to attend the jubilee evening of Paata Burchuladze could not attend the event since their needs were not taken into account – no ramps that are in possession of the Palace of Sport were installed. The persons with disabilities were forced to resort to assistance of security personnel and due to this fact they left the place in protest.

Environmental access is the most significant problem for persons with disabilities and appropriate realization of their political, social, economic or cultural rights and their adequate participation in public activities is impossible without resolving it. Non-adapted environment and conditions mainly are the basis for discrimination of persons with disabilities.

In the framework of the authority envisaged by the law “On the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination”, the Public Defender decided to initiate examination of the above fact.