On June 18, 2024, the Public Defender’s Office, with the participation of local and international organizations, held a working meeting on the topic of elections, the purpose of which was to provide information on the mandate of the Public Defender and examination of election-related issues, and to receive information about the existing challenges from the participating parties.

According to Public Defender Levan Ioseliani, in the conditions of increased polarization, there are great expectations for the Office, which, despite the limited mandate and resources, is ready to examine all the obtained information. He also noted the readiness of the regional representations of the Office in terms of appropriate response to the rights violations during the pre-election period and on the election day.

First Deputy Public Defender Tamar Gvaramadze spoke about the issues of receiving information about violations during the pre-election period, which allows for an effective response and long-term decisions. She also spoke about the importance of the existing response mechanism and improvement of coordination during acts of violence and arrests.

Participants noted the importance of more active involvement of the Office in the pre-election and election processes under extraordinary circumstances, as well as effective cooperation with the Office in terms of finding those arrested during the protests and monitoring their rights.

They also emphasized the negative impact of the Georgian transparency law on the non-governmental sector.

The meeting was held within the USAID-PDO partnership programme, with the support of the American people and with the help of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).