Issues pertaining to the productive cooperation between Georgia and the European Court of Human Rights and prospects of furthering this interaction were the key topics discussed during today’s meeting between Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and ECHR President Robert Spano. The Prime Minister thanked Spano for his personal effort toward protecting human rights in both Georgia and worldwide.
The meeting emphasized that, as of March 31, 2022, the European Court had reviewed about 130 complaints concerning Georgia, a historic low. Ten years ago, the European Court the number of such cases was 3,000-4,000. As Garibashvili notes, the European Court’s statistics on national-level human rights protection reveal a rising tide in terms of complaints filed, so the rapid decrease of complaints from Georgia is indicative of the success of the Georgian Government’s reforms implemented in recent years.
The meeting also underlined the recent milestone decision of the European Court of Human Rights to confirm the fact of Russia’s occupation of and effective control over the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. Garibashvili reaffirmed the Georgian Government’s commitment to peaceful conflict-resolution.
The conversation also focused on the ongoing judiciary reform. The years-long judiciary reforms have resulted in significant progress, the Prime Minister emphasized, though this is not enough, and the process of reforming continues.
The parties underlined Georgia’s leading positions in various international rankings. The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2021 ranks Georgia 49th among 129 countries, while the country is the top rule of law performer in the region compared to fourteen other European and Central Asian states.
“It is very important that we had an opportunity to come to Georgia, to discuss the importance of the continued cooperation and dialogue between the Georgian judiciary and the European Court of Human Rights. Indeed, it is a very important point in time for the President of the Court and the National Judge to be able to come to Georgia, to discuss the recent developments, and to be able to assure the Georgian judiciary and the Georgian authorities that the Court and the Council of Europe continue on the path of increased cooperation and support,” Spano said.
