Georgian judges distance off official criticism of Western diplomats

Thirteen judges have refused to support the harsh response of the judicial conference to the US and EU diplomats regarding the election of new members of the Georgia's Supreme Council of Justice. Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili has called on Washington to support the struggle for the courts' independence with personal sanctions.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 12, the Georgian Parliament elected six judges with unlimited term of service to the country's Supreme Court, namely: Gocha Abuseridze, Giorgi Gogiashvili, Levan Tevzadze, Bidzina Sturua and Lasha Kochiashvili. The US Embassy has criticized this decision, claiming that the MPs had violated their agreements with the opposition. The oppositional MPs are sure that the newly elected judges are fully under authorities' control.

In Georgia, judicial reform was one of the points of authorities' agreement with the opposition on the ways to overcome the political crisis. After the election of the above judges, on July 28, the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party announced its withdrawal from the agreement. The price was Georgia's refusal to receive 75 million euros from the European Union (EU). Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister, said that authorities had no intent to take this financial help, wanting to reduce the country's external debt.

The statements of the Embassy of the United States (US) to Georgia that some of the judges "undermine the legitimacy of the judiciary" and that "because of the closed system, many professionals were excluded from the process and deserve the better" are "offensive" to the entire judiciary, the parliamentary committee has stated.

The EU Delegation to Georgia has called the election of the judges "a step backward" in the Georgian judicial system, and the US Embassy has criticized the hasty appointment of two judges "in the absence of the competition and transparency." Salome Zurabishvili, the President of Georgia, has also made a critical statement.

Georgia's western partners "deserve only gratitude for their great contribution to the development of the judicial system," said Zaza Martiashvili, who works for the Judicial Panel of the Tbilisi City Court.

Mikhail Saakashvili, the third president of Georgia, has called on the US authorities to impose sanctions against the "clan of judges."