Due to the high interest of the public, Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili is making additional explanations on the issue of awarding Tolerance Defenders by the Council of Religions on 16 November 2017 and emphasizes that the Council of Religions selects Tolerance Defenders independently, without any interference by the Public Defender.

According to the rules, the Council of Religions elects Tolerance Defenders with the majority of votes and only representatives of the religious organizations affiliated with the Council have the right to vote.

The Public Defender clarifies that according to the same rules, the candidates should be chosen as Tolerance Defenders according to their contribution to the creation of tolerant atmosphere in the country throughout the year. However, these rules, even in case of deviation, do not allow the Public Defender to change the Council’s decision.

The Public Defender also underlines the necessity for improving the competition criteria, transparency of the process and selection of candidates only through open discussions, in order to avoid similar discussions in the future.