Tbilisi: The Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, took part in the round table conference organized by the Council of Europe, during which a study on “Review of Georgian legislation and practice related to protection and safety of journalists” was presented on June 12, 2023.
As the Council of Europe briefed, the research report on the issue was prepared based on the request of the Georgian Ombudsman’s Apparatus.
“The Public Defender of Georgia, so far, has studied dozens of cases of frequent crimes against representatives of various media houses in recent years and reflected them in annual parliamentary reports.
Unfortunately, there are still a number of investigations where the investigative agencies have not identified and held the perpetrators of the crime. We have had the issues under discussions for a long time now and I state once again that a high rate of crime against journalists and other representatives of the media contributes to creating and maintaining an environment of impunity,” Levan Ioseliani said in his speech at the Council.
Notably, the research reports, presented by the expert of the Council of Europe, Peter Nurlander, is based on analysis of the compliance of Georgia’s legal framework and practice with the standards of the Council of Europe that have already been mentioned in the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers CM/Rec (2016)4.
It is noteworthy that the event was organized by the Council of Europe cooperation project “Strengthening Media Freedom, Internet Governance and Personal Data Protection in Georgia”, which marked the presence of the Georgian Ombudsman and other dignitaries.
