On February 12, 2016, the Public Defender of Georgia submitted amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief to Rustavi City Court with regard to a lawsuit concerning alleged discrimination on grounds of religion.

The plaintiff alleged that Rustavi City Hall’s refusal to issue permission for the construction of a catholic church in Rustavi was conditioned by discriminatory approach towards the religious minority.

In the amicus curiae brief the Public Defender reviewed the test of detection of alleged discrimination on religious grounds, the use of the rules concerning the burden of proof in the discrimination cases and the case law of the European Court in the field of discriminatory treatment on religious grounds.

The amicus curiae brief is not aimed at supporting any party and it only identifies the standard established in similar cases by the European Court.