On May 7, 2018, Deputy Public Defender Giorgi Burjanadze presented Public Defender’s Report on the Situation of Human Rights and Freedoms 2017 and recommendations reflected in the report to the members of the High Council of Justice.

The Deputy Public Defender spoke about all the issues reflected in the report and answered questions of the members of the High Council of Justice. The Public Defender's Office expressed readiness to continue active dialogue with the judicial corps in the future and to discuss the report in a broader format at the conference of judges.

In the report, the Public Defender speaks in detail about the right to a fair trial; the themes of the recommendations to the Parliament are: to improve the legislation regulating the High School of Justice in order to ensure the institutional independence of the School, change the selection-appointment process of judges and abolish probationary appointment of judges, change the rules of election of court chairpersons, define obligations of the High Council of Justice by law, adopt evaluation and control methodology of overloaded courts, thoroughly determine disciplinary responsibilities of judges, as well as the time element of the mandatory appointment of a substitute judge, define clear grounds for using/admitting indirect evidence in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court, adopt a new code of administrative offences in compliance with the constitutional and international human rights standards, change the Criminal Procedure Code and non-disclosure agreement not to apply to the accused and his/her lawyer.

Despite the fact that the addressee of the recommendations is the Parliament of Georgia, the Public Defender considers that it is important the issue to be introduced to the judiciary as well and to listen to their opinions about problematic issues.